Walking into The Globe office this past Monday brought a whirlwind of nostalgia for me that I can only describe as a confusing stasis of relief and tension.

I had watched three editors before me make their mark. Now it’s my turn.

I was both ecstatic to get started on our first issue and so anxious I could barely eat breakfast. Mostly everything was in place on my end, but I had to rely on my staff to pull off this first issue of the semester.

As a perfectionist and control freak, I’d love to be able to fill every position myself. But I have already realized an essential lesson this semester – sometimes letting go can be more difficult than holding onto a plethora of responsibilities all at once.

But it’s an essential key to success.

From a young age, we are taught that teamwork is a crucial skill to achieve goals out in the real world. We practice this through group assignments, sports, music, jobs and more.

Learning to trust someone else with fulfilling their role on the “team” can be a scary thing. What if they don’t do what their supposed to? What if they do it wrong? How will it affect me?

It can be hard not to dwell on those “what ifs.”

Being a part of this newspaper has taught me how to trust others from the second I walked into our old offices in Lawrence Hall 701 when I transfered to Point Park three years ago.

Have I been let down? Sure.

Have I fallen short of my duties at times? Absolutely.

It’s human nature to fear failure and it’s a given that we are all going to experience it at one point or another. But what has made my time here so worthwhile is the fact that if I fail, I have a dedicated staff – dedicated friends – that won’t give up on me when I do.

That’s what is so important about building relationships in anything you do – having a network you can rely on.

So when you are let down, you can pick up the slack. And when you can’t fulfill your role, others can do the same for you.

Being a part of an organization like this one can be demanding.

Oftentimes, these dedicated journalists are up until the wee hours of the morning staring at computer screens until it feels like their eyeballs are going to roll right out of their heads.

But as stressful and time consuming as it can be, there’s pretty much always someone cracking a joke, sharing a laugh or jamming to whatever is playing on WPPJ’s airwaves (especially Night Fever).

At the end of last semester, I realized just how much I appreciate this ragtag bunch of writers, reporters, photographers, designers and editors.

Following our staff dinner, I received a small bag filled with well-wishes, words of encouragement and kind thank you notes from everyone on staff.

I nearly burst into tears right at the table. I was at least able to keep it together until I got home.

It’s these moments that make the long hours of running a newspaper worth it. Knowing that my fellow staff members appreciated all the time I put in is a feeling impossible to put into words.

I was left speechless by their kindness and dedication.

Through tough times, through struggle, we learned what needs to be done. We can deliver you the news because we know it’s an essential part of our campus community. We’ve become a well-oiled machine, always looking ahead to our next task.

In my time here at Point Park, The Globe has allotted me the opportunity to take that tough step to let go. I can let go and trust that the paper will be better than ever before.

I can worry about my own responsibilities without having to fret about those “what ifs.”

And if one of us happens to fall short, you, our audience, will never know, because we all bear this burden of bringing you the news every week. There will always be someone here I can rely on to fill the void.

For that, I am grateful.