When I looked into what colleges I wanted to go to, I Googled where some of my favorite and the most prominent sports journalists went. I quickly found a common theme — they wrote for The Daily Orange at Syracuse.

So, when I applied to SU, I wrote this in my supplemental essay: “One of my goals in college is to establish myself as a sportswriter for The Daily Orange student newspaper, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than covering sports for this publication.”

Fast forward to today, and I can confidently say that goal has been achieved and more.

I remember the first time I walked into The D.O. in September 2022, Anish gave me a tour of the sports room and house. I remember him showing me the names of the former Sports Editors near the door and thinking that I wanted my name to be there one day, too. Now, my name is there, and I’m so grateful for all the opportunities and experiences that have come with working at The D.O.

But none of that would be possible without all the great people I’ve met and worked alongside. Thank you, everyone.

• • •

Noah: One of the best values a person can have is someone who cares. It took me about a week to realize you cared and were passionate about the work you were doing at The D.O. and wanted to one day be Sports Editor. I’m so happy I’m passing the baton to you and know you’ll be great. Thank you for all your hard work, and go kill it leading the staff next semester.

Nicholas: Nicholas, you’re grandiloquent. I didn’t know what grandiloquent meant until about 30 seconds ago, when trying to find a word to describe you, but I’m sure you’ve had that word stored deep in your bag of the most absurd vocabulary I’ve ever come across. Your passion for sports journalism is truly unparalleled, and I’m so thankful I got to work alongside you. I hope you learned a thing or two from me because I most definitely learned from you. Have fun in Madrid next semester, and I’m looking forward to seeing what your future holds.

Cooper: Mannnnnn. Coop, I owe you a lot. Thank you for always seeing the vision, advocating for me to be on the women’s basketball beat and trusting me to be an assistant — I wouldn’t be where I am today without that. But this goes way deeper than all of that. Working alongside you and seeing you elevate this paper has been unbelievable. Nobody cares more about running this place and writing at an elite level like you do, and it’ll forever impact the sports section and paper. Everything you’ve accomplished is extremely deserved, and I can’t wait to see where it takes you. I’ll forever cherish that trip to Storrs and look forward to future endeavors.

Aiden: This is a pretty ironic story. I remember you requested me on Instagram during our freshman year, I saw you played baseball in high school and knew you did some writing for The D.O. I quickly knew you’d be one of my best friends once I actually got to know you. I was 100% right. It’s insane how much time we’ve spent together since then, but I’m so glad you’re the person I was with. You’re the hardest worker I’ve ever worked alongside, and working with you has pushed me to levels I otherwise wouldn’t have tried reaching. Your passion and work ethic will forever have an impact at The D.O. and will take you far in life. But above all that, you’re an even better dude. Keep being you, and remember, it’ll all work out. I’m glad I know I have someone I can call about life, Family Guy, journalism, BigXthaPlug or anything else in between at any time. I’ll forever cherish going through this in-house journey together, and a massive thank you for picking up my slack that first semester.

Zak: I’ll never forget meeting you outside Flint freshman year before that football game. You were wearing a classic Zak Wolf button-down shirt and were extremely antsy about getting to the Dome as quickly as possible. Little did I know that was the start of a long journey of memories from Harry’s, the TIP and so much more. Your passion for journalism was infectious from Day 1, and I’m glad I got to figure out how to work a beat alongside you. It’s been fun going from a passionate freshman to taking over as Sports Editor for you. For as great as all that is, I’m even more glad we’ve grown close on a personal level and have had great memories together — big shoutout to those baby Guinness shots in Dublin. It’s been a fun few years, and I can’t wait to make even more memories.

The Dungeon: I’m proud to call you guys some of my best friends and am so thankful for all the memories — much love.

Harris: So you’re telling me there’s another guy at this school who was born on Oct. 30, is also young for their grade and writes from The D..O.?!? You’ve done an incredible job throughout the entire year, Harris, and I’m super excited to keep watching you grow — aka seeing ganders continue to grow into Johnsons and absolutely chow down some trey-balls. The future is bright.

Jordan: Doing what you’ve done as a freshman, Jordan, is truly unprecedented. And best of all, you’ve handled it all so well, and your passion has been extremely apparent from Day 1. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with you these last two semesters, and I know you’ll continue being great going forward. I can’t wait to see it happen.

Mauricio: Easily one of my favorite stories from this year is when I did a new writer read with a kid absolutely drenched from pouring rain. I’m glad that it ended up with you being the writer, Mauricio. From that first read, I knew you were extremely talented, and it’s been awesome seeing you continue to improve. Keep going with that creativity, it’ll take you far.

Quinn: Quinn, your passion has been apparent from Day 1, and I’m super glad you continued to keep applying to work in-house before I hired you. Most people in your position would try to find an easy way out, but you took on the challenge of continuing to keep working hard and absolutely earned your position. You did a great job this semester, and I can’t wait to see what you continue to accomplish.

Nick: Missed you in-house this semester, man, but I’m glad you’re now pursuing what you love. I’m still down for that game of poker we always talked about but never played.

Henry, Spencer, Jason: Your in-house spots were extremely deserved, and I can’t wait to see what you guys have in store.

Leo: This paper badly needs someone like you, Leo, and I’m super glad I got to work closely with you over the last few months. You are easily the best sports photog I’ve ever worked with, and I’m super excited to see you run the photo section. Keep being great — you’re an absolute dog.

Mark: For some reason, I was so hell-bent on wanting to cover TBT two years ago, and I’m so thankful you allowed that to happen. Though what I’ll remember most from that trip is having the most heinous bloody nose of all time, looking like I killed someone in whoever’s bed I was sleeping in. Sorry for making you deal with that, haha. On a real note, I’m super lucky I got to build such a close relationship with you, and I’ll forever remind you that I somehow once got you a job offer. Can’t believe you’re now moving to Brooklyn — mid-day lunch on you?

Connor: From the second I got involved with The D.O., you instantly became one of the people I started looking up to. But no matter how many bangers you wrote, what I’ll remember most are the runs in Barnes and getting Chipper with you, Aiden and Tyler. I wish we got to overlap and work in-house together, but even without that, you became one of my best friends from Syracuse, and I’m so grateful for that. Have fun in front of the camera and don’t enjoy your job too much!

Tyler: I’ll never forget when you texted me letting me know I got the dig position, and I responded with a thumbs up selfie of me sauced from the Barstool party — pretty fitting for what ensued most of the next semester, haha. But thank you for trusting me to do both, not many people would’ve gone about it the way you did, and I definitely wouldn’t have gone on to have the college experience I’ve had without it. You’re one of the best people I’ll ever work alongside, and I can’t wait until the next time we’re eating Chipper together. Give the vinaigrette dressing a second chance!

Anish: Like I mentioned at the top of this, you’re a huge reason why I’m here, and I’m so thankful I got to learn under you. It’s been a long journey from when I used to be scared as shit when you’d call me about edits freshman year. Thanks for letting me go through hell and back while working that first semester in-house. I’m extremely thankful you let me do it. You were a great EIC to work under, and will forever be one of the best bosses I’ll have the privilege of working under. Thanks for being someone I can always count on.

Wyatt: If Wyatt Miller has no fans, it means I’m dead. Thank you for taking me under your wing while on the WICE beat, it really meant a lot to me and helped me learn so much during a time I didn’t know shit. It’s been awesome seeing you grow since then, and I can’t wait to see more Jared Verse propaganda on the timeline next football season.

Davis: You’re the backbone of The D.O., Davis. Thank you for everything you did for us behind the scenes. You’re easily a first-ballot D.O. Hall of Famer.

Timmy: Tim, it was a pleasure working with you in-house those first two semesters, and thank you for making my football recruiting beat idea come to life — you did an amazing job. Can’t wait to be back hooping with you, and on a lot more of a frequent basis next year.

Kevin: You’re the man, Kev. I loved getting to know you, and seeing your growth over these last few years has been unbelievable. Have fun at Northwestern, I’ll miss you!

Matt: I’ll never forget that car ride home from after we did those lacrosse guide reads, forever a legendary D.O. moment. Thanks for doing a great job on the WICE and WLAX beats, and have fun on the Cape this summer!

Hank: My first D.O. memory was sitting in archives with you, Hank, and you shredding my new writer story. Thanks for teaching me the basics of how to actually be a sports journalist that day; it definitely helped shape me to get where I am today. It’s also been hilarious having you as a TA this semester — please don’t be too harsh on my professionalism grade.

Cole: Thanks for trusting me on the softball beat despite not working in-house, and it was great getting to cover TBT at the same time as you. Seeing your passion when you were sports editor definitely inspired me, so thanks for setting a great example.

Adam: We surely missed you during media cup this year — Rutgers also definitely could’ve used this year. I’m so glad you came back to The D.O. this time last year, and I got to know you. Forever a D.O. Sportscast legend.

Tony: I really wish I got to know you better, Tony. Even without knowing you too well, I saw the work you put in toward helping set a standard around here, and it motivated me to help keep what you guys accomplished going.

Sophie: I was probably your worst assistant, and I know you probably wanted to kill me. Even while I knew that you probably thought that, you never showed that toward me, and your energy was always a bright spot during a time when bright spots were extremely difficult to come by. Thanks for bearing with me, I have no clue how I could ever repay you for that, you have no idea how much that meant to me. You’re absolutely great at what you do, and I wish you all the best in Tennessee!

Stephanie: You did an absolutely incredible job as EIC, Stephanie. It was a pleasure working under you. It was great knowing you had full trust in me to run the sports section, but even better to know you trusted me to get you to and from Boston in one piece!

Kyle: Every time you did one of my final reads, Kyle, I learned something new about how to write and edit a story. You’re truly a wizard, and thank you for being such an influential part in my D.O. journey.

Jimmy: Jimmy Buckets. Best of luck as DME next semester. I’m so happy to see you in management. It’s been great getting to know you this past semester, can’t wait for the media cup revenge tour.

Duncan: You’re the man, Duncan. Can’t wait to see you run this place one day.

Brycen: Now here’s an absolute hooper. Need you to come back to Syracuse for the weekend whenever media cup is next year.

Joe: There are two three-letter combinations I instantly think of when I think of you, Joe. BWP and MVP. You have done such a great job in so many areas, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know and work alongside you. You’re the best!

Cole: Yeah, Cole. Thank you for always bringing the energy and being an absolutely cracked DDD. Talk to me f*cking nice.

Lucía: You are truly incredible at what you do. Thanks for your dedication and late nights. I’m forever grateful for all the hard work you put into designing the best possible paper. Your future’s so bright.

Bridget: Thanks for making our stories look insane in print. You absolutely did not execute on that shirt design, but you were phenomenal to work with!

Ilana, Lily, Sophia: Thank you all for being incredible to work with. You’re all incredibly talented, and The D.O. is in great hands with you all still working in-house.

Stef: It was awesome seeing someone else go through the D.O. double-life, too. I’m glad you can no longer make fun of me for not being a head editor!

Lars: I have never met someone with a cleaner dap up than you, Lars. What’s even cleaner is your incredible photos, even though you somehow think you’re bad at shooting sports. It was great working with you!

Chris, Stephen: Money talks, fellas. You guys have done an unbelievable job behind the scenes, and our amazing travel wouldn’t be possible without all the hard work you guys do. Shoutout Apex, but an even bigger shoutout to you guys!

Future D.O. sportswriters: I know I’ve gone through many Ducks of people I never worked with, so I wanted to give some advice to people I don’t know who are looking at this any time in the future. Have fun with this stuff, it’s an awesome experience. Do your best to make sure each story you write is somehow better than the last, but more importantly, be someone the people around you will want to work with. Feel free to reach out to me anytime, I’d love to do whatever I can to help you.

D.O. alums: Thank you all for being incredible role models. For those who have taken the time to speak with me, I really appreciate it.

Family and friends: Thank you for letting me and encouraging me to chase my dreams. Words here could never do justice to how thankful I am for you guys.

Published on May 5, 2025 at 3:57 pm
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon