My goodbye to Mankato

I will admit that I am someone who was only able to work for the Reporter for one year. However, the biggest regret that I have is that I didn’t find them sooner.

Ever since I began my college career, I had always struggled to find the place where I belong. I was a kid from a small town called Mendota Heights, Minnesota who just kept to himself and really met a ton of setbacks. Especially entering my senior year, I contemplated if I was even on the right path and if this is what I was meant to do in life. However, the Reporter changed that for me entirely.

Since the first day I came in, I have been on one heck of a journey. In the process of learning to become a better writer, it also taught me to be a better person, co-worker, and most importantly a better friend. The spark that I felt was dying slowly was once again set ablaze and reignited within me. Even though our time was short, I will always remember the people who helped me along the way.

I will always remember the production nights, where I would work on edits or stories, usually ending with being yelled at for misspelling the word against, the staff meeting where we would workshop ideas and pitch stories we want to try out.

However, the one thing I am grateful for is all the amazing people I got to meet. Julia, Emma, Lilly, Dylan, Lauren, Ali, Hayden, Luke, Mohammed, Dominic, Robb, Jane, and everyone else at the Reporter. They welcomed me with open arms and became a second family to me that has become irreplicable.

On top of that, I got to work alongside the athletics office with Paul Allen and Nick Burns. On top of sitting as both Play by Play commentator and a member of the l Reporter, I got the chance to see games up close from weekend matchups to Championship title games. A job that I have dreamed of doing my entire life and that gave me even more memories to cherish along the way.

But most importantly I give my thanks to the countless students and coaches who I got the chance to speak with, picked up a copy, or viewed my stories online. It was truly an honor to watch you whether you competed for the school or someone who complimented the work I was doing. You helped make my job the most fun possible and truly make the experience meaningful in the process.

While I admit that I am uncertain what the future holds for me going forward. But there are two things that I know for certain. It’s only the first of many more chapters still to be written. All that I can do is trust in the plan and keep grinding things out. The second is that this has been the journey of a lifetime that I will cherish for the rest of my life. 

All I can really say now is from the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

Charlie Groebner

(Courtesy of Charlie Groebner)

Write to Charlie Groebner at charles.groebner@mnsu.edu