Eleven Months later and this is it. As the last issue of our paper hits the stands, I feel a mix of emotions.
This was a year of immense learning that came with a large amount of mental and emotional stresses. Before I can even continue to talk about the rest of this year, there are people that I absolutely need to mention.
To Alicia, Vanessa, Mahnoor, Kassandra, Mirabelle, Ayesha, Meg, Florence, Alison, and Mayank—I am indebted to each and every one of you. You’ve inspired me every step of the way and brought this paper to another level. Your patience with me as I was going through this process was more than I could have asked for. I know that things were stressful at times, but your resilience to get your work done at the best standard possible was something to look up to. It was your optimism and your fight to bring amazing and great work to the forefront that molded The Medium into what it is. For that, I wholeheartedly thank you. I will miss all of you dearly and I can’t wait to see the amazing things each and every one of you accomplish. You’ve made my Sundays and weeks exciting and you’ve brought me out of some very low points in my life. I am so proud and grateful to call you my teammates and my friends. Thank you.
To Menna and Olivia—we’ve all been here with this paper for quite some time now and it’s been a wild time. You’ve both grown into wonderful human beings with goals and dreams that I know you will achieve. You’ve been with me for so long and have spread your love and positivity and truly taught me what it means to be humble, patient, and grateful for every single day. You’re both an inspiration not only to myself, but to everyone who has worked with you. Your ability to come to the office and spread nothing but joy and motivation in times of hardship was what brought this team together.
Olivia, you go be that awesome cosmetic scientist and enjoy every step of the way there. Keep spreading your love to the world, and love will spring right back. Thank you for being the one associate that actually responded to my emails when I was photo editor with more than three words, thank you for being such an amazing friend, and thank you for believing in me. Your strength and amazing heart will not go forgotten.
Menna, your journey is just beginning. Don’t worry about your age, continue to be the happy human you are, and keep fighting for what you love and believe is right. You will not fail, you will be an amazing journalist. Ryerson is lucky to have you. Thank you for being a friend and supporting me through this long and tough year that we both faced. The world is about to be hit with one amazing journalist.
You all brought a strength to The Medium that has definitely bloomed since my first days here. You’re all strong and remarkable individuals. Never forget that. Be proud of your work this year, team.
The journey to this point was long and arduous. I managed a lot and I still do every day. However, this journey was worth every minute.
I quickly learned that the only way to face this job was not to think about anything other than the day at hand. To truly take things day-by-day and work through it all as quickly and efficiently as possible. I never did know what would happen the next day, but I did know that I would learn something new every time.
It takes a lot to be a journalist. Every member of this team has had to go through something that drained them and made them want to quit. Juggling school and this job is not an easy thing to do. And all of it was for you, the reader.
They’ve asked the questions you’ve been afraid to ask or were just unaware of. They’ve delivered informative articles about all kinds of events and happenings on campus that were crucial to the growth of our students.
The Medium isn’t a club, magazine, or anything else. The Medium is UTM’s journalist outlet, and we bring you information that you may not have been aware of.
UTM, I challenge you to start asking questions and continuously push yourself to stay informed. I can’t stress enough how important it is to seek information and be critical of it.
I also challenge you to be as patient as you can in this whirlwind of an academic environment. Yes, I understand that you have to keep your GPA up, attend your classes, and get all your work done, but a year after graduation I can promise you that life will be okay. Everything takes time—your life is yours to take at a pace you want to go at.
I am afraid and so worried about the future. I’ve cried and wondered why the hell I was even trying to achieve anything remotely related to what I loved. I realized that the love for my life, friends, family, and my work is what’s going to keep me going. I don’t have dreams, I have goals. Every day I will be pushing myself to get to those goals.
Don’t give up UTM, you’ve got this. Every day at this institution is a day of learning and experiencing. Please don’t ever stop believing in yourself. You are important, you will achieve your goals, and resilience will get you to where you want to be.
I’m excited to be back next year. To the team next year, get ready for a lot of important and memorable work. I can’t wait to work with you all, and I’m excited to see where we take The Medium next year.
Stay informed, love yourself, and never give up on yourself.
I believe in you.
YOURS,
MAHMOUD SAROUJI
