I feel like I’ve blinked and I'm at the end of my tenure as the Editor in Chief of Gair Rhydd. With my graduation looming ever closer, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my time with the newspaper which has been one of the pillars of my University experience. I have been a part of Gair Rhydd for three years, two of which I have been a part of the editorial team and before I became Editor in Chief, I was Head of Science which surprised people when I said I was a politics student.

Personally, I didn’t want to write about the same thing for my essays and my newspaper articles so that led me down the science road. I loved writing about my passion for video games and technology with one of my articles about AI getting nominated for article of the year in 2023. I had to delve back into the archives to find out what the first thing I wrote about was when I was a lowly contributor all the way back in 2021.

Turns out it was an article in Issue 1175 called “Facebook rebrands its name to Meta”. It graced the front page which was many a sign I was destined for the high life of the editorial team. It was all a lot simpler back then, only having to churn out an article if I wanted to and not being constantly tied to the media office and InDesign.

It’s this kind of trajectory that should inspire others in the newspaper and even you who's reading this that you can reach the top of the newspaper, even if you're not committed from day one. There are a lot of ways to leave an impact at University but I feel running a media group like Gair Rhydd leaves a lasting and tangible impact that you'll be able to look back on and be a part of a long line of students who came before you. It’s weird to think that this used to be a sabbatical position that was elected by the student body - I’m thankful it's not like that now so I can just focus on the job and not on running a campaign.

The newspapers has given me so many opportunities whilst I’ve been at Cardiff University. From interviewing experts, organising exchanges, learning editorial design and creating a strong team for the future, it’s been an absolute privilege to serve as Editor in Chief this year. If you look to your right, you’ll see that we’ve made a timeline of all the things we’ve done this year.

For me, it’s been an absolute rollercoaster of a year, with all the ups and downs that come with a job like this. When you’re in your third year like I am, it's so important to make sure that your university work comes first. However, it has been a struggle, especially when you’ve got two deadlines - your school deadlines and the print deadlines.

I tried to make sure this didn’t take up all my time - which I don't think it has but it's definitely been a balancing act. As you could imagine, 24-32 pages of a newspaper takes a while to create, so for most of the year I’ve been working in the media office trying to format all the great journalism we receive from editors and contributors. I don’t want to sound ungrateful for this opportunity because it’s been great but it's almost like I’ve had a full time job on the side of my studies, so I have the utmost respect for students who've had to hold down a job over the last three years.

My proudest achievement has been winning the Best Publication in Wales award from the Student Publication Association. It was such a joyous moment and a great reflection of all the hard work that has been put into the newspaper over the last year. The Media Awards hosted last week was another one of those proud moments.

Standing on stage and giving out awards to all the hard working editors that I have had the privilege of leading was a moment I'll never forget (even if I had a few drinks in me). It was a challenge over the summer to create an editorial team from scratch but the people I have with me now have been such an asset to the paper and make us more of a community. Finally, I would like to congratulate my successor, Annabelle, on becoming the next Editor in Chief.

Since joining the editorial team, she has thrown herself into her work, leading the new Spotlight section and will make a formidable Editor in Chief. Gair Rhydd, I will miss you terribly and will look back fondly on the three years we have spent together. Diolch.