Graduation Day

Four years ago I graduated with my friends from Elder High School. Today I'll do the same from UC

This one goes out to everyone and anyone who has made an impact on me in the past four years. There are a few a lot of you to thank, so let’s cut to the chase (and not the final ten races of the NASCAR season, although that’s normally an exciting time of the year).

To every one of my friends, whether from high school or college, or both, it’s been a great ride. There are far too many of you to thank individually, but you know who you are if you’re reading this. It’s been fun, and the past four years wouldn’t have been the same without my friends.

To the folks who have guided me to a career path including the folks at Channel 9 (Mark Slaughter, Dennis Janson and John Popovich amongst others) and Channel 19 (Rufus, Brian, Joe D, Dan Wood and while he was at Ch. 19 last year, Zach Wells); you guys have pushed me into an exciting world that I love every second of.

Brian Giesenschlag of FOX19 loves take me with him to Kentucky Speedway...and I love his hard hat

When I sit in classes and teachers tell me that the journalism world is dying and it’s tougher and tougher to get jobs, I know that through my experiences with you guys, I will have zero problems landing a job when I need to.

To my co-workers within the UC video department (including Joe Stanek, who is now at Tennessee); you guys are like my extended family, and while the past four years have been a blast, we aren’t done yet. Let’s make the next two-plus (possibly) even more fun.

To Wid and Greg Bruner, thanks for everything so far, and let’s keep it going. (Positively of course Wid…positive, positive, positive)

But the man who especially deserves a thank you is former UC video coordinator John Sells. Four years ago Joe Stanek and I walked onto the field at Nippert Stadium to film 1-Day camps. Neither of us really knew what we were doing.

Sells (in the white shirt) on the field in Miami before the Orange Bowl with (from left) Bambi, me, Joe Stanek and Marcus

Four years later Joe is at Tennessee and I’m going to be a Graduate Assistant for the Bearcats. Our love and passion for this job came from the way you taught us in the three and a half years you were around us.

To the coaching staff(s) I’ve worked with at UC under Brian Kelly and Butch Jones, thanks for allowing us to be such an integral part of the football program. I’ve enjoyed it and I’m definitely looking forward to the next few years as a GA.

But the people who really deserve a thank you are the three people who have had to deal with me for the past 22 years, my mom, my dad and my brother.

My brother, two years younger than myself, has taught me a lot about UC, and I hope I've done the same for him

Without their support and help, the past four years would have been a lot tougher. I could have made it on my own, no doubt about that, but having the help with laundry and meals is the reason I’ve been so successful as an undergraduate.

Even when I’m not home (and that’s quite often with all the odd jobs I do around the city for all sorts of different folks) someone will call to check on me or text me to see if I need food or anything done before I get home.

Four years ago we lined up in front of our old house for photos. We'll do the same in a few hours

I’m not the easiest person to deal with, but they’ve put up with me throughout the years, and for that I’m grateful.

And to all those of you who are offended or feel that I’ve missed you or shortchanged you some column space, I apologize. It’s my graduation day, I’ve got many, many more things on my mind today.

It’s time for “Pomp and Circumstance” at UC, and it’s time to get my degree. It’s been a long road, but a fun road. For all the times—happy and sad, good and bad—you folks have been here. It’s been a blast, and if these 500-plus blog posts don’t show what fun it’s been so far, I’m not sure what else will.

Thanks for reading, have a great Saturday, and congratulations to all my classmates. We deserve it.

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Watch me graduate, beginning at 2 p.m. at this link: https://www.uc.edu/ucvision/event.aspx?eventid=265