When I was about to leave for college, I heard from almost every adult in my life: “Those four years will be gone in a blink of an eye.” To 18-year-old me, that seemed impossible. I didn’t realize how true it really was until that cap and gown were sitting on my bed, staring me down. I mean, just yesterday, I was moving into my freshman dorm and going to every Welcome Week event that was offered. I was learning the ropes of campus and getting used to a college class schedule.

Well, here I am. The end of the road. I came to Troy as a junior in the fall of 2024, transferring from the University of North Alabama. Stepping onto campus, I only knew two people, and neither were students in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication. I knew starting a new school where I hardly knew anyone was going to be a challenge. The main reason I decided to transfer to Troy was to pursue TrojanVision. I originally had no intention of writing for the Trop

A lot can change in four years. When I stepped on campus in August 2022, I couldn’t have envisioned what my life and time at college would look like today. As a nervous, socially anxious freshman, I never would’ve imagined I could be the slightly less nervous, socially anxious senior I am today. In all seriousness, my entire worldview and perspective on life have changed at college, and I’m so grateful to this period of my life for helping me figure out who I am. My first spo

When I came to Troy as a freshman, I declared my major as English and was intent on becoming an English professor someday. I had never once planned to become a journalist –but oh how plans love to change. I remember taking a job assessment quiz in eighth grade and one of the recommended jobs was journalist. I thought, “Yeah right, all journalists do is talk about politics and murders. That’s way too grim for me.” It wasn’t until I came to Troy and met Dr. Stefanie Hicks East

How can one simply jot down two years? My time at Troy University is coming to a rapid close, and I just have so much to say. When I arrived here as a transfer student from Wallace Community College, I never expected what this place and the people in it would mean to me. As a student in the English department, I have had the unique honor of coming to know some of the hardest working, supportive, encouraging faculty in all of our school. Thanks to these professors who believed

If Barbie truly can be anything, I guess I am living it. I started my college career at Troy as soccer Barbie, complete with cleats, gloves and my emotional-support water bottle. Then, I became nursing student Barbie, pink stethoscope and caffeine in hand. When I entered the Tropolitan Dreamhouse, I wasn’t sure where I fit in. My roommate encouraged me to join the Trop, but I still couldn’t picture myself writing news. Could I really be journalist Barbie? I remember my first

Growing up, all I have ever known is sports. It’s all I’ve talked about my entire life. From obsessing over stats and scores, to attending as many events as possible, it is an obsession. What better way to use that obsession than to write about it? Being able to cover Troy Sthletics has given me remarkable experiences. I covered multiple Sun Belt championships for men’s basketball and have traveled to several states to cover the “school we love.” My favorite thing about being

I never thought I could write for a newspaper. Coming into college, I thought my opinions and beliefs were unimportant, small and not worth articulating. After all, who cares what a teenage girl from rural Appalachia has to say? Emily Mosier, a previous editor-in-chief for the Trop who I had the honor of competing alongside on the debate team, encouraged me to start submitting opinions, and eventually to apply for a scholarship with the paper. Nervously, in January of 2025, I

As my time at Troy comes to an end, I have begun to reflect on all of the amazing memories I have made here. Cheering at the collegiate level for the first time, finding my people in a new place, winning the Sun Belt in football, cheering to a bowl game, competing on a national level and so many other moments have made my time here unforgettable. There are a few moments that are truly more memorable than any of those things. My journey to journalism was not conventional. When

As my Troy career ends, I’ve reflected on all my achievements, and working on The Tropolitan is one of my biggest. The journalism department has been nothing but supportive all four years, but this past semester working as copy editor has brought me closer to my peers, given me insight into the industry and prepared me for future opportunities. If I had to give advice to a freshman me, I’d tell myself to get involved with The Tropolitan sooner— it’s an experience on campus un

The Beach Boys are a band I have been listening to my entire life. There was a time in high school where I was listening to them religiously, and I can easily point to a few albums in their career I thought they were at their best. I still have the same opinion today. One of those albums is “Sunflower,” released in 1970, after Brian Wilson’s perfectionism and mental decline during the making of “Smile” but before their descent into baiting nostalgia in the late 1970s. “Sunfl

With everything going on in the news nowadays, it is seemingly difficult to keep track of what is going on in the Middle East. According to www.bbcnews.com, America and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Why did they do this, and is it a good thing? According to state.gov, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio explained the whole point of attacking Iran was to make sure they could not build a nuclear weapon. As soon as the attack happened though, Americans felt the effects. Accord

High speed races, fun circuits, cars-- is there really a difference is Formula One and NASCAR? The answer easy answer is yes-- here are many differences between the two racing worlds. To start off, the two cars are completely distinctive styles. NASCAR races with what is called a “stock car,” which is designed for high contact, bumper to bumper racing. F1 races with open wheel/open cockpit cars, which are made for more high-speed, curvy tracks.The tires of the F1 car are

President Trump posted a Truth Social post last Sunday where he lashed out at the first American Pope, Leo XIV, for criticizing the Trump Administration’s foreign policy and recent actions in Iran. In his Truth Social post, Trump stated the pope should not criticize war, but that instead, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more imp

Exploring the basics of Formula One High-speed races, dangerous crashes and an exhilarating battle for the championship title — this is the world of Formula One. Allow me to break down the world of F1 in a way most beginners will understand. Twenty-two drivers are racing for their spot as the 2026 World Driver Champion (WDC), all while the 11 teams are fighting for their spot as the constructor champion. Drivers receive points for each race they win, with positions one

Country music is an odd conversation topic with many music fans online and in person. I have heard the phrase: “I like all types of music except for country,” many times. Honestly, it makes sense. Most people base country music off only the stuff they’ve heard on the radio or though TikTok. I am here to prove that country music should be given a chance anyways. The first thing that I point to when defending country music is that like most genres, country music has a deeper

As graduation looms ever closer, I have reflected on my college experience. Specifically, I’ve considered what I’m glad I did, and what I wish I had done differently throughout my time at Troy. One of the things in college that I am most proud of is being heavily involved on campus. I urge you to get involved on campus. Talk to the people next to you in class and join different clubs and discover your passions. Do not fall into the routine of just going to class and then

Among many others, I woke up to a post Friday morning announcing a surprise album by Sooj, a collaboration between artists Duster and Dirty Art Club. The album is called “Crusher,” and it sounds different than any other Duster side project I've heard before. Usually, Duster side projects don’t align with their main projects as one might expect. To name a few, “Birds in the Ground” by Eiafuawn is faster and has considerably less spacey textures, and Mohinder’s self-titled EP

According to a Feb. 18, 2026, news release from the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor statistics entitled “Union Members-2025” , a mere 11.2% of employed Americans were represented by labor unions in 2025. The power of collective bargaining that is made possible by union membership leads to higher compensation for labor, and in 2025, the average union member was making $1,404 a week, compared to the average non-union wage of $1,174. According to a 2016

After a long weekend of racing, the youngest World Driver Championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, still has the lead with 72 points. Antonelli and teammate George Russell began Sunday’s race in first and second, respectively, followed by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. Piastri overtook both Mercedes drivers around the first corner, giving him the lead.  This is Piastri’s first race start of the season after a crash in the formation lap in Australia and an electrical fault in

“Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods.” “Prices will come down. You just watch: They’ll come down, and they’ll come down fast, not only with insurance, with everything.” “Starting the day I take the oath of office, I will rapidly drive prices down and we will make America affordable again. We’re going to make it affordable again.” “Energy is going to bring us back. That means we’re going

Last week, I recommended a couple of albums that were laid-back and dreamy for the spring season, but today I will be taking a turn and looking at an album that screams spring. It’s an album that is so pleasant and perfectly tempered that it might be more spring than Alabama’s definition. That album is “The Colour of Spring” by Talk Talk. “The Colour of Spring” is nestled between two better-known parts of Talk Talk’s discography. Most people know them from their albums “The

Sora AI is dead. Good riddance. If you've been living under a rock for the last year, Sora is an artificial video-making platform made by OpenAI, the same creator behind ChatGPT, and was arguably the largest generative AI video platform. The platform was very popular upon launch, quickly breaking a number of app store records. Last week, OpenAI announced the shutdown of the platform, shocking many and leaving those who used the site without their service. Some may ask, “I

During the trial in which he was sentenced to death, Socrates defended himself orally against his attackers, proclaiming that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, as it is very easy to proceed through life while being complacent, never examining one’s own beliefs and morality, and never questioning how you can improve yourself. Engaging in the study of philosophy is one way to avoid this. The study of philosophy, especially