In the words of Dwight Schrute, from NBC’s “The Office,” “There’s nothing on my horizon except everything. Everything is on my horizon.”

A little more than a week from now, I’ll be done with finals and walking across the stage in the M.A.C. Center. In about two weeks, I’ll pack my bags and move to Lansing, Mich., for the first chapter of my post-collegiate life.

Looking back at that collegiate life brings forward both good and mediocre memories. (I have no bad memories — just learning experiences.)

I’ve done about everything I can do with my major by working my way up the Stater ranks.

I’ve also done a few things outside my major: Marching band, bowling club and Circle K.

The best thing I could have done is get involved early, which I did. If I have any advice for students, it’s to get involved with as much as possible as soon as possible. You’ll meet more people, make more friends and, most importantly, learn more about yourself.

If I could offer another piece of advice, another “Schrute-ism,” if you will, it would be: “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ and if they would, I do not do that thing.”

Follow those two pieces of advice and your college experience will go smoothly.

But this column isn’t just a reflection on my own time at Kent State. As much as I’ve grown up, changed and, yes, even stayed the same, during the last four years, so has the Stater.

Here are a few changes the Stater has gone through since I started eight long semesters ago:

The Arts, Life and Leisure section was a four-page broadsheet section titled Pop Arts when I got here. I’ve seen it transition into an eight, and sometimes 12, page tab. I was part of its transition from strictly music and movies to its current broader scope of entertainment, and I’m excited to see it continue to transform during the next few years.

The Web site? Yeah, it was here four years ago, but it was basically used as shovelware. Now we frequently (or, sometimes infrequently) create Web-only content or extras that aim to further engage you, the reader, viewer or user.

Along with this Web revolution, which was hardly talked about when I arrived, is the idea of convergence. Next year, the Stater moves into a converged newsroom with TV2. In effect, we’ll operate like one news organization. As the final Stater editor before this transition, I’d like to think we’ve done a few things this semester that will help make the move smoother.

Another ongoing change is the paper’s eye for diversity. In general, the Stater does a pretty good job of representing the university’s varied population — I truly believe this. But there is always something we can do better.

We’ve started a dialogue this semester that should continue in the future. By talking with each other and exploring our differences, I hope we can eventually set them aside. We are all students who are here to get an education, regardless of our race, creed or color. To get to this point, we must keep the lines of communication open.

So, ending rather abruptly, that’s enough about me and enough about the Stater. I’m running a little long — I’m nearing 600 words. It’s hard to sum up eight semesters of growth and maturation, for both myself and the Stater, in only 550 words.

In a way, the paper and I are much alike. We’re both leaving Taylor Hall, presumably forever, and embarking on something new, exciting — fun.

I’m ready, and the Stater’s ready.

Just one more Schrute-ism: “I am ready to face any challenges that might be foolish enough to face me.”

Seth Roy is a graduating newspaper journalism major and editor of the Daily Kent Stater. He plans on watching “The Office” tonight. Contact him at [email protected].