Before I started senior year, joining The Observer was nowhere in the plan. My schedule was already full, graduation was getting closer and I thought I had already found the spaces that would define my time at Case Western Reserve University. Then, over the summer, one of my best friends, Anjali, director of design, reached out to tell me they were looking for new layout designers. I said yes with almost no thought behind it, mostly because it sounded random enough to be interesting. Every now and then, life gives you an opportunity that makes no sense on paper (pun intended) but feels worth trying anyway.

Most weeks, I worked on the Life section, with the occasional news or sports page mixed in. At first, layout seemed simple enough: place the articles, adjust the photos, make everything fit, fix what looks wrong, repeat. But there was an art to it that I had not noticed before—it was about creating flow, balance and making a page look like something people would actually want to read. It was about caring about details that most people would never consciously notice, while knowing those details were exactly what made everything work.

A huge part of that growth came from Lucas, the other director of design, whose creativity constantly raised the standard of what I thought was possible. When I first started, my pages were rigid and safe. I focused on structure and getting everything where it needed to go. Over time, after seeing the kind of ideas Lucas and Anjali brought to every issue, I started thinking differently. I became more willing to experiment, take risks and ask how a page could stand out instead of simply working. Thank you both for pushing creativity in a way that made the rest of us better too.

What I did not expect was how quickly the people would matter more than the pages. There is something strangely special about being in a room full of tired, talented people all trying to make something good before the night ends. Stress became delusion. Delusion became laughter. Small conversations between edits became the kind of moments that stay with you longer than the finished product ever could.

My co-layout designers were the kind of team that made every week easier. No one hesitated to step in when someone’s schedule got hectic, when someone needed to leave early or when an extra page needed to be covered. There was always someone willing to help, and that kind of generosity is rarer than people think.

I especially want to shout out Sahar, another one of my best friends and my personal favorite layout designer. At the beginning of the year, I looked forward to every Wednesday because it guaranteed time with Sahar and Anjali. Somewhere along the way, that list of names kept growing and growing. What started as showing up for two people became showing up for an entire room.

That might be what I will remember the most. Not just the pages we finished or the deadlines we met, but the way a random Wednesday commitment slowly became one of the most consistent and joyful parts of my week. In the middle of a senior year that often felt like it was moving too fast, The Observer became a place where time slowed down enough to finally enjoy it.

College teaches you plenty inside classrooms, but some of the best lessons arrive quietly and unannounced. Sometimes the most meaningful communities are the ones you find late. Sometimes the things you almost said no to become the memories you revisit most often. Sometimes, the final chapter surprises you with something you did not know was missing.

So no, joining The Observer was never part of the plan. But some of the best things that happened to me here never were.