Thank you for four years of learning and growing. I had many ups and downs throughout my college career, but always tried to keep a smile on my face.
Thank you to my family for keeping me motivated and cheering me on, even if it’s through FaceTime calls or text messages from 40 minutes away.
Thank you to my coaches: Scott VanderMolen and Mark Johnson from Cross Country and Track & Field. Both of you have helped me become a faster and stronger runner, as well as teaching us all lessons on and off the track.
Thank you to my XC and T&F teammates for all the support and encouragement every step of the way. Thank you especially to my running buddies this season, Brenna Fehan and Laura Abreu, for making each mile a joy to run.
Thank you to my Gatepost advisors: Desmond McCarthy and Liz Banks. You have both helped me become a better writer and editor. I owe all of my journalism experience to you both and The Gatepost as a whole.
Thank you to my fellow Gatepost managers: Donald Halsing and Leighah Beausoleil. I have learned so much about writing and collaboration from both of you.
Thank you to my amazing boyfriend, Eric Guccione, for being the most supportive, funny, and kind partner I could ever ask for.
Thank you to all of my wonderful friends here at FSU, especially my roommate, Destiny O’Connell. I’ll always cherish our time spent in 704!
I will miss all the fun times and chaos caused during my college career, but I’ll always carry the memories of my fRAMily wherever I go.
With love,
Kathleen Moore
I cannot believe I am finally here.
When I started my college journey those four long years ago, I’ll admit, I doubted I would make it this far, but here I am preparing to walk the Commencement stage on May 22.
I first would like to say thank you to the University itself for giving me an opportunity to attend school here when no other colleges would give me the time of day.
A big shout-out goes to Shayna Eddy in Admissions, who, with the help of my high school guidance counselor, Mr. Donahue (love ya, Mr. D.) got me here in the first place.
To David Smailes, my advisor and mentor over these last four years - thank you for all your wisdom and for making my journey through political science so enjoyable.
To Liz Banks and Desmond McCarthy - you’ve both been wonderful, especially at helping me advance my writing abilities and giving me a new perspective of the world - a journalistic perspective. For that, I am forever grateful.
To my grandparents, specifically Mary Bercume and Gerry Bonini, I love you both so much, and I don’t know what I would have done without our late-night conversations, card games, and Mai Tai dinners. You both mean the world to me, and it is because of your old-world knowledge that I have made it this far.
I suppose the great crooners also deserve an honorable mention - Perry Como, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra! If it weren’t for their music, I would have gone insane by now.
While I’m on that note, I should also give a shout-out to Ann McDonald, who graciously introduced me to Mr. Vincent Ialenti, who has become my “Perry Pal!” Thankful for you both.
To my parents, Cindy and Steve - I have been blessed with two of the best parents in the world. I cannot tell you how fortunate I am to have parents who have not only acted as hard-working role models my entire life, but have never failed to support me in my endeavors. Thank you for all you have done for me.
And lastly, I thank the good Lord for allowing me to wake up every morning - giving me the guidance I need to get through each day.
This is Steven Bonini saying, one last time - God Bless you all!
One thing I have been told all of my life is that you will always end up where you need to be. It may not be the place where you want to be, but it’s where you should be in the moment.
Looking back, that’s exactly what FSU came to be for me.
To Hilltop: Thank you for the community you provided and the opportunities you gave me. You all truly became my second family freshman year and were always there when I needed you.
To Liz and Desmond and the rest of Gatepost: Thank you for convincing me to join The Gatepost, pushing me to be my best every week, and for the opportunity to see my work published.
To my friends: Four years have gone by so fast. We’ve stuck together through the thick and thin, and the ups and downs. Thank you for the laughs, memories, and good times. Here’s to many more.
To my family: Thank you for supporting me at every turn and being my cheerleaders these past 22 years. I may not know what is coming next, but I know that I will forever have you all in my corner.
Last but certainly not least, to my mom: I don’t have words to say. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I love you a bushel and a peck.
Sincerely,
Ashlyn Kelly
Hello!
Gosh, I don’t know how to start this.
I’m Sabrina Grammatic! I’ll be graduating this semester and then working toward my master’s degree, which is something I never thought I’d end up doing, so good on me. For four years, I’ve been a student here at FSU. It’s given me a mix of both good and bad memories, but that’s college, isn’t it?
I’ve been a part of The Hilltop Players - the student-run theatre organization here on campus for those four years. I found myself both onstage and backstage, getting some neat opportunities like directing a play and becoming vice president of the organization. Looking back to when I was in high school, I would have never, never imagined myself to be doing the things I did in college. You really do find yourself more in these formative years, huh?
If you had shown my high school self a picture of me now, she would also be in disbelief. What, my future self understands fashion now? Unbelievable.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though FSU is FSU, and it has both good and bad days, it still helped me grow into myself in a way that I never thought I could. I can’t wait to go out into the world and have such a solid foundation to aid me, one that I created during my time here. Friends who sometimes know me more than I know myself, professors who have made me feel smart when I never really thought I was - all of that came from here.
So I want to leave FSU on a good note, and say thanks. Thank you for slapping me in the face and waking me up.
Really, what more could you ask for?
Sabrina Grammatic
I transferred here from MassBay in fall 2020, but I did not think that my time here would be as special as my time there. I am so glad I was wrong about that, though! Throughout my time here, I have made meaningful friendships and established professional relationships that I know will last a lifetime! I also worked on a few projects and papers that mean a lot to me and expanded my career interests. Not only did I gain great personal growth, but I also experienced career growth because I got my first on-campus internship as a result of being an FSU student!
I want to thank the whole Career Services team, especially Emily Abel, Rich Davino, and Wendy Davis, for supporting me throughout my internship. They taught me how to be more assertive as well as professional! I also want to thank my professors, especially Dr. Elcoro and Dr. Flanagan! They helped me develop my interest in psychology so that I now have a better idea of what population I want to work with!
It’s amazing how fast we can adjust and make a new environment be as special as previous places, and I’m so glad that I got that opportunity!
Sabrina Beach
A few years ago, I came to FSU and joined The Gatepost as a staff photographer. I remember attending my first event, which was “Shakespeare to Hip Hop.” As I had never photographed a formal event before, I was nervous to walk around the forum and take photos of people. Desmond was sitting in the back and told me to “be brave.” I have taken those words of encouragement with me during my time working as a student journalist and throughout my college career. So, thank you so much to Desmond and the rest of The Gatepost staff. Shoutout to my best friends here, Bhumi and Sephora, two of the kindest, funniest, people I know. Thank you to my parents and my sister Lilly for supporting me throughout my time at FSU. I also want to thank Susan Petroni for mentoring me this semester as writing for the Framingham SOURCE has helped foster my interest in the field of journalism. Good luck Class of 2022!
Sincerely,
Caroline Gordon
I wish I’d written more for The Gatepost. When I started out, I didn’t really know how to describe what I wanted to do, so I settled for simply attending the meetings without providing much in the way of input.
However, thanks to the help of my fellow editors and writers, I managed to get my own column, even if it was ultimately a short-lived one. I’ve discussed all manner of different media - movies, TV shows, games, and comics, and yet in spite of all this, I still feel like my work isn’t done.
I hope that if you’ve kept up with my writing that you’ve tried out at least one of the things I’ve recommended. And I hope that for each of those things, at least one person has taken an interest in them.
Seriously, if anyone has taken an interest in “Raging Loop” because of me, let me know.
I want to thank all of my instructors, Professors Springer, Cole, Johnson, Stephens, Banks, McDowell, Caffery, Kali, and Bowen. Each of you has given me advice that will remain with me every time I put the proverbial pen to paper.
I want to thank my friends, both near and far. Jackson, if you’re reading, I’m rooting for you in the years to come.
And I want to thank my family for being my greatest supporters at every step of the way.
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to be a critic for a bit shorter than that. And thanks to all of the people in my life, I’m finally both.
Excelsior,
Sean Cabot