I believe it goes without saying that we are currently living in an exceptionally difficult and uncertain time. With our school year having been abruptly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and students across the nation forced into endless Zoom meetings, it’s no surprise that my final months as the Opinion Editor of the Ocksheperida would be less than normal as well. I have been a part of the Ock staff for the past two years, and I can honestly say that it has been an extremely rewarding experience. 

   From the very first issue I ever worked on, to now where we are publishing our work digitally, it has been beaten into me that if an article cannot be backed up with evidence to prove that it is factual, it cannot even be considered for publishing. While the process of actually writing my articles is the same as it was before quarantine, the personal interactions and connections that I have made with the rest of the Ock staff has been drastically different. I am now seeing everyone through a tiny camera and finishing our class time for the week in an hour rather than walking into the Mac Lab to Tarrin playing Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin on her computer. 

   In my time as an editor, I can say wholeheartedly that I have strived to encourage other writers to express themselves and their opinions through their articles. In this era of misleading and “fake news,” it can be hard to decide what to believe and what to ignore, but as a class I believe we have held ourselves to a higher standard. I can only hope that future writers for the Ock will do the same. 

   As hard as it is to say goodbye over a computer, this must be said: I am thankful for all of you and our one-of-a-kind, Disney-obsessed teacher Brian Rizer.