Once you’ve spent two years writing news, you begin to feel like you’ve seen it all.

From my very first article to today, when I officially end my time on The Badger Herald news staff, I have covered stories for every beat, but after a while I stopped remembering specific events and began to look at news in arcs.

My very first story for the Herald was the second viewing of the plans for Peace Park by the city’s Urban Design Commission. Since then I covered the project as it moved through numerous committees, broke ground and finally opened to the public.

I’ve seen this cycle dozens of times, always following them diligently from beginning to end. After a while they begin to run together. Seeing so many projects and stories break, develop and close, I began to think everything was predictable; that no matter how out of nowhere it seemed, if you follow the news closely enough you will see the signs of what is to come.

Then this semester blindsided me. In the past four months two beloved mayors have faced off in a election that made the wet dreams of every Madison blogger come true, students gathered daily in unheard of numbers to protest events both at the Capitol and here on campus, and I almost jumped in a broken down Saturn to chase after 14 missing Democratic state senators.

Yep, without a doubt, this has been one long and crazy semester.

While the protests at the Capitol meant many different things to different people, for me they reaffirmed my belief that people can change the news I was reporting. When Gov. Scott Walker introduced his idea to cut collective bargaining, not a single person in the Herald office predicted the marathon protest that was to come. Surely we knew there would be some reaction, but the magnitude of the events to follow was utterly and completely unpredictable.

There are always new things to see, new people to interview and new stories to find. The world around us is changed by everything we say.

As I move on to the position of managing editor – largely residing in the world of the editorial page – I will take the task of commenting on news happenings with all the responsibility I can muster, knowing my words may very well impact the flow of the news cycle.

But I’ll leave a few things behind in news as well.

First, a smart, disciplined and dedicated news team led by my perpetual cohort Adelaide Blanchard. These individuals have flourished this year at the Herald, and I know they will continue to see the section grow and bring the best possible coverage of events and issues to our campus community.

Second, a well-informed readership. But doing my best to keep you up to date only returns a fraction of what I owe you for making my career at the Herald possible. Those who pick up the paper and troll our website make sure we are able to continue our hard work. Thank you all for the opportunity you have given me to write and report.

And keep an eye out for me in opinion. Who knows, in three months I may be writing about you.