#GoodbyeTNS - How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye this hard

When I first found out about the closure of The National Student, I was devastated. I only joined the paper at the start of this year, and I had met so many amazing people and had so many fantastic opportunities. I hated the thought of this being over.  

After the first wave of sadness mellowed down, I started to reflect on how much I learnt within the past six months, which made me appreciate the experience even more.

When I started writing for The National Student, I had never published anything besides several failed blogging attempts. I was scared even to let my boyfriend read my work out of fear of how it would be received. Never would I have thought that six months down the line, I would have 26 articles with more than 26,000 reads published. I have received feedback from friends, organisations and strangers on social media praising my work. 

I got to interview artists and entrepreneurs, review shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and liaison with some amazing charities and organisations.

This is all down to The National Student, and the amazing editors I met along the way. The advice, encouragement and support I have received alongside the writing opportunities have been incredible, and it is something I will forever cherish.

This was not just an online publication. It was a community, and I feel so, so lucky that I got to be a part of that – even if it only was for a short time. 

The National Student has not only given me more confidence in writing, but it has also encouraged me to be active in pursuing my goals. That I can achieve something if I keep trying and that taking the leap and showing people your work is not scary, but necessary.

This is the end of my journey at The National Student, and goodbye is hard. But I will always feel so lucky that I got to have this chance in the first place.