The one where Emily says goodbye

Senior Farewells: Emily Mosier

I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that my time at Troy University is finally at an end. By the time you are reading this, I will no longer be the editor-in-chief of The Tropolitan. I have read so many senior farewells over the last few years, written by my friends and mentors, and now, somehow, it’s my turn to say goodbye.

This moment is bittersweet. I keep thinking back to when I was 16. I had no idea who I wanted to be. I remember thinking I wasn’t capable of being the first in my family to attend college, but Troy University gave me the opportunity to prove myself wrong. And I am so incredibly grateful. I believe wholeheartedly that I have spent the last four years being exactly where I was supposed to be.

The Tropolitan has been a part of my journey since my first full day on campus.

The morning after I moved into my dorm, I went to a welcome week event – Cornhole & Chick-fil-A, to be exact – where I chanced to meet the then news editor, Oluwaseun Omotayo, or “Zee.” Upon finding out that I was an English major, she invited me to attend The Trop’s annual “bootcamp.” The next day, when I showed up, she told me that I had to write an article about construction. She then walked me to the administration building where I ended up interviewing an associate vice chancellor; it was an awkward interview that I forgot to record and instead had to quickly handwrite every quote I could remember. I survived, and I was so proud of myself for publishing an article before I attended a single class as a freshman. I was hooked.

The Tropolitan quickly became my home. By the first semester of my sophomore year, I was the news editor. By the second semester, I was editor-in-chief and officially declared multimedia journalism as a second major. Some may know the story about my first week as news editor – when it was also my dear friend Kris Harrell’s first week as the Trojan Living editor – and neither one of us knew how to use the page design software. We missed our deadline by five hours. It was stressful then, but now, this story makes me smile. The Tropolitan was patient and gave me a chance to learn and become better.

I spent hours week after week writing, interviewing, editing and designing. Journalism became my whole identity. Thanks to The Tropolitan, and Troy Public Radio, too, I have met amazing people from all over the world and written stories that had real impact. Most importantly, I developed confidence, passion and skills that high school me would be astonished to see. Sixteen-year-old Emily would be beyond proud.

I owe it all to the exceptional faculty found in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication. I want to thank Dr. Robbyn Taylor for always believing in me as well as Dr. Stefanie East, my dear friend and confidant who has taught me so much and gotten me through many tough times. Thank you, Professor Hanna Cooper, for making The Tropolitan a safe space while pushing me to be the best version of myself. I also want to thank Kyle Gassiott and Joey Hudson over at TPR for turning me into an audio lover: I will miss the radio station just as much when I am gone.

I want to acknowledge and thank the many editors who I have worked with over the years and who have made the office feel like a family: Kris Harrell, Ansley Miller, Kiara Posey, Raleigh Woodfin, Kathryn Clark, Neela Cole, Rylee Bamberger, Caleb Thomas, Cailey Wright and Zee Omotayo. And thank you to Marissa Lacey, as well. It’s been an honor.   

I must also say thank you to my roommate and best friend Sarah Robbins, who has always been my biggest supporter and has listened to me talk about my work every day for the last

four years.

Finally, I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has trusted me to tell their story and those who were my faithful readers. Journalism is a public service, and I hope I have served you well.

While this ending is somewhat sad, I am also incredibly excited for the opportunities my experiences here have prepared me for. The work I am most proud of as a student journalist is hands-down my articles about the conditions of Malone Hall: this series introduced me to investigative journalism and is allowing me to leave Troy a better place than I found it. In August, I will begin pursuing a master’s degree in investigative journalism at Arizona State University, having been awarded their top fellowship. I intend to bring the Trojan Spirit with me, there and beyond.

As I get older and go through life, I will look back fondly on my college years. I will remember how the Hall School made my world a billion times bigger and an infinite amount better – I mean, how lucky am I to have been a part of the one and only Trop?