I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at these types of things.

But when Andrew Schuett, sports editor of the Technician, asked me last week if I wanted to do a farewell column, I couldn’t say no. I like the spotlight more than I dislike sentimental speeches.

Here we are, less than three weeks from graduation, something I thought would never come when I moved into Carroll Hall in August 2010. With graduation comes the end of my time at the Technician, an experience unlike any other during my college career.

I remember a lot of firsts from my time at State. I remember my first party – well, walking into it at least. I remember my first class: FLS 201 in Poe Hall. I remember my first crush and my first upset stomach after a trip to the famous Fountain Dining Hall.

But no first from college sticks out like my first article for the Technician. It was a preview of N.C. State’s football game against Tennessee in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

As I went through my day, I kept looking ahead to my scheduled phone interview later that afternoon with a player whose identity I wouldn’t know until I picked up the phone. Almost the second I got back from class, my phone rang. On the other end was Annabelle Myers from the Office of Athletic Communication.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Luke,” Myers said. “We have [rising senior running back] Tony Creecy here for your interview.”

Wow, I thought. Tony Creecy. I’ve seen him score touchdowns at Carter-Finley Stadium before. And now I’m interviewing him for an article. This is cool.

As you might expect, I was jumpy and nervous. How often do you get a chance to interview a Division I football player? Even though I had all my questions written down, I stumbled all over myself. But somehow I managed to get all the quotes I needed and wrote a story. Maybe this wasn’t so difficult after all.

As time went on, I became desensitized and wasn’t so nervous when interviewing players and coaches. They’re people just like me. Articles became easier to write and the quality improved. It began to feel routine. 

I confess: It even sometimes felt like a nuisance. We had meetings on Sundays, and during the fall, that meant missing out on some of the action of my beloved Washington Redskins. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I’m not just a Redskins fan; it’s more of a religious thing.

But it was worth it in the end. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing many current and former Wolfpack players and coaches during my two years at the Technician. I remember doing a feature on former State baseball player Ryan Mathews, who was a pleasure to interview, during my junior year. I’ve had many chances to talk to women’s head tennis coach Hans Olsen, a man who would talk about tennis all day long if circumstances allowed. And sitting in on a Mark Gottfried press conference after a men’s basketball victory is an experience second to none. 

Of course, I’m not perfect—nobody is. There have been instances when I missed deadline, or had to contact a sports information director at the last minute to try and reschedule an interview because of my own stupidity. And of course, some of my columns have not been well-received, like a certain one back in February after State lost to UNC-Chapel Hill in men’s basketball.

But that’s all part of the job. You take the bad with the good, and frankly, if people don’t disagree with you, you’re not doing your job as a columnist. Mac McDonald, former director of broadcasting at the University of Virginia and Wake Forest University, told me something that has stuck with me ever since I was fortunate enough to intern for him as a senior in high school.

“Not everyone likes my style, but there are people out there who think Bob Costas sucks,” McDonald said.

I don’t know what the future holds for me going forward. While being a sportswriter will always be my number one dream, I don’t know if that’s what will end up happening. But I’m glad I got a little taste of it as a member of the Technician staff.

See you on the other side.