How does one say goodbye to the place that helped shape and mold their life to what it is today?
By: Amanda Musto
Dear CSI,
It has been ten years since I first entered your campus. Ten years since I was first told “Don’t go there, it’s terrible.” Ten years since I started the long, emotional, and beautiful rollercoaster ride of college life.
It has been nine years since I left your campus. Nine years since I gave up on college and myself. Nine years since getting a degree left my mind.
It has been two years since I took the plunge and returned to your campus where I was welcomed with open arms. Two years since I turned it all around. Two years since the sight of a degree came back into focus.
It is now the week before I graduate. The week I say goodbye to the school I’ve grown to love. The week I say goodbye to professors who have helped me blossom into who I am. The week I say goodbye to the friends who have made this time so much more enjoyable.
I am not a native Staten Islander and I believe that helped me have a different perspective of this school. I went in without knowing anyone, which of course was scary, but opened the door to numerous new friendships without knowing unnecessary gossip about anyone. I always wanted to go away for college and to me, that is what CSI felt like. I never dreaded the time I had to head out to class, unless it was those terrible 6:30pm-9:50pm classes, because honestly, who enjoys those? Even though I had lost a love of school for a little while, CSI helped me get it back and turned me into a new person.
I was blessed to have taken classes with some of the greatest professors who taught me so much and who touched my life whether they knew it or not. Professor McNulty and Professor Miller who helped me get past my fear of public speaking, to the point that I even partook in the Undergraduate Conference in 2025 and then read one of my Banner articles on stage at the conference this year. Professor Dimmick who pushed me to expand on a small paper that has progressed into the workings of a future novel. Professor Kaufman who convinced me to join The Banner and told me I had what it takes to be a journalist and editor, and now I am one of the editor in chiefs and work side by side with another awesome editor. I would not have taken any leaps if not for them.
I can’t express enough gratitude to The Banner and its strong staff, especially my co editor Gianna and managing editor Sarah, for the wonderful experience this paper has brought me. To be part of something that means so much to not just myself, but everyone involved has been so special. I learned how to be a better editor and better writer, but most of all, to believe in my abilities and see that I can do this. I’ll never forget my time as part of this team and will forever call The Banner my home.
Maybe one day I’ll return to CSI for my next degree or to be part of The Banner as an alumni advisor, but until then, this seems to be the final chapter in my CSI book. It’s been an amazing story and I’m sad to see it end, but I’m excited to see what book starts next for me.
