As photojournalists, we capture joy and sadness. The small moments and the big ones. More than just stopping to take a picture, this year really hit home the message of building personal relationships and stopping to "smell the roses" in everyday life. While 2018 was a hectic year with travels from coast to coast, I kept that message in the back of my mind. Take the extra moment to say hello or to talk to someone – you never know where that conversation will take you.

I began the year serving as the Photography Editor for my college's newspaper, The Daily Egyptian. As the semester came to a close, I had the great opportunity to be a photography and video intern at the Arizona Repubic in Phoenix, but that didn't come without some nervousness. I took the plunge and agreed to move across the country to a place that I have never been before – where I didn't know anyone – in hopes of becoming a better storyteller and meeting some great individuals.

I would say that my journey there did just that.

I can't thank the photography staff enough for their advice and mentorship throughout my time at the Republic. I also can't talk more highly about an incredible group of fellow interns and I'm sure they're all going to be famous sooner than later. A huge thank you to Mike Meister and Mark Henle for their photo editing advice during my time in Arizona! Also a huge thank you to John D'Anna, Greg Burton and the rest of the staff for taking their chances on a guy from southern Illinois.

One of the most memorable moments of the year was reporting on Native American education in rural South Dakota through a grant with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. I've included some of my images from the story in this post, but the full package will be coming soon.

About halfway through my internship I recieved an email that I had been accepted into this year's Eddie Adams Workshop. I recall letting out some gutteral noise that made my editor glance up from his desk and ask if I was okay, but I couldn't believe it. The biggest takeaway for me from the workshop had to be the friendships that you foster through your short time at the barn. Another huge thank you to our incredible team leadership: Lynn Johnson, Olivier Laurent, Sean Hintz and Cesar Rodriguez for pushing us to be better photographers and better people. Also a shoutout to the other incredible photographers on Team Purple: Dorothy, Andrew, Kelsey, Filip, Bella, Sharon, Lauren and Ale.

I start my final spring semester as Editor-in-Chief at the Daily Egyptian and will graduate in May. I may not know exactly where the next stretch of road may take me, but I truly can't wait for the ride.