Goodbye

I am in disbelief. After 14 months as the Editor-In-Chief, I will now be leaving The Texas Horn. I’ll be leaving the one thing in my life that I am most proud of. Hardly anything in my life has brought me as much joy as my time here at The Horn. 

I never imagined writing for a conservative publication at our school, let alone founding one. To be honest, I was shocked when Jordan Clements, the former Young Conservatives of Texas Chairman, picked me to be the Editor-In-Chief because, as far as I can remember, I’ve never been a leader. And I don’t think I’ve ever been seen as one either. As a kid, I was a shy, diminutive little thing. I looked like a blonde Stuart Little. [Editor’s Note: He still does.] So, with my inexperience and many other reasons, I expected this project to be a disappointing failure. 

Well, thankfully, I proved myself wrong. We are now one of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s top publications in the nation. And I couldn’t be happier. I’ve enjoyed every second, from launching the website on Texas Independence Day to creating The Texas Horn Podcast to winning ISI’s Best New Media Award of 2021 to printing and distributing the first edition of The Texas Horn newspaper. 

This paper has been a blessing to me. Since the moment I witnessed the 2016 presidential debates, I’ve been searching for an outlet to express my opinions. And I’m very thankful because I was not only given an outlet but my own publication, allowing me to voice my thoughts whenever I wanted. I’m content with the fact that now any conservative student at UT has the same opportunity. 

I truly love this publication, like it’s my own child. I put my all into it, and I’m very satisfied with the direction it is heading. I haven’t left yet, and I’m already missing it. But I’m at the end of my days as a student at The University of Texas. I will be graduating next week. 

Jackson Paul will become the next Editor-In-Chief, and I will be moving on to a year-long ISI fellowship with USA Today as a fact-checking editor in the opinion section. 

[Editor’s Note: ISI provides paid fellowships and summer internships with national publications such as The Hill, The Washington Examiner, National Review, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, USA Today, Dallas Morning News, The American Conservative, and New York Post. Check it out here.]

Jackson Paul founded this publication with me and has been by my side since the beginning, helping me make The Texas Horn the award-winning publication that it is today. I am more than confident that Jackson will be an excellent Editor-In-Chief. He is one of the best writers and editors that I have had the privilege to work with. Jackson is also an upstanding guy, a principled conservative, and a good friend.

This is no ordinary website, it is an institution with a purpose. We are here to bring conservative principles and ideas to campus. We are an island in a leftist ocean, so we have to be our very best — keeping our news unbiased and our opinions thoughtful. As we continue to grow, more slings and arrows will be flung our way. But we shouldn’t worry. Our best method of defense is speaking the truth. 

As Solzhenitsyn once said, “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.”

The truth is powerful. And as long as y’all keep reading and sharing what we publish, we can continue to be a bulwark against the tidal wave of campus culture. So keep the conservative voice alive at UT Austin and subscribe, share, or write for our publication. We need all the help we can get.

Again, I am very thankful for these past 14 months as the Editor-In-Chief, and I cannot wait to see where The Texas Horn will be in the future.

Now I’ll say goodbye. 

Farewell, and Hook ‘em Horns.