It's been almost two years since I started working at Interrobang, where I've tried to bring out news and stories that interested the Fanshawe community, especially all the students.

The announcement of the newspaper's closure caught me by surprise. I didn't expect it since Interrobang has been a symbol of the student union for more than four decades. We're not talking about the newspaper ceasing to be printed in paper, but also all its online output. All of it will stop publishing forever.

On the other hand, the fact that the announcement was made with such secrecy until the last moment seems so dirty to me that I can't help but think that the newspaper is not closing precisely because of the cost it entailed for the institution, but instead because it made more than one person uncomfortable.

For those who say that nobody reads the newspaper, I would like to say that that is entirely false. For over a year, I have distributed the newspaper with our editor, Hannah Theodore and seen how we have left more and more newspapers in every corner of the college.

It is not just a number on an Excel sheet; I have seen it with my own eyes. But since I see that for many, the numbers only matter when making certain decisions, I would like to say that in these four years, 30 per cent more newspapers have been distributed, which confirms the number of readers we have on the main campus and at Western University, and that is only talking about the physical newspaper, because readers also visit the Interrobang website.

In addition, I want to emphasize that Interrobang has been awarded as one of the best student newspapers in this province, receiving recognition for years, which shows once again that the college is training good professionals and that they want to show that journalism is more necessary than ever.

The fact that the paper has improved in terms of numbers and prestige has undoubtedly been thanks to Hannah, who has put her heart and soul into this paper and has supported us in publishing those thorny issues that no one wants to talk about publicly, such as all the measures the government is implementing to reduce the number of international students, the anti-abortion activists who visited Fanshawe, and the tragic suicide of a student.

She has also defended us when necessary, without hesitation, since it seems that in these times that we live in, journalists make people uncomfortable, and that's annoying for a few. We are not public relations; if our questions make people uncomfortable, we are doing an excellent job.

The closure of the newspaper has not only left students beginning to find their way into the world of work without work, but it also means the loss of many stories that remain to be told.

I only hope that after this bitter farewell, the Fanshawe community will become aware of the situation and stand firm to keep this newspaper and, above all, if the proposal to hold a referendum is successful, it will be carried out without a shadow of a doubt. I want to remind you that the students voted for the executive team and the directors of the FSU, and if the students wish for the newspaper to continue, they must carry out this referendum. Are they not the voice of the students? Well, now they must prove it. They have to be brave enough to make decisions, but they also have to be brave enough to recognize that those who voted against the continuation of Interrobang were wrong.

I will leave this newspaper because the paper no longer needs my services, but I will hold my head high because I have given my all, even putting myself in situations that have taken me out of my comfort zone. I have learned what journalism is like in Canada, and I have felt freer here than in my own country, Spain, where I was not given as big an opportunity as Interrobang has given me. The world of journalism is very competitive, and the first opportunity is the hardest, so I am incredibly grateful to those who believed in me and my work.

I would also like to say that the reporters we have now are doing an incredible job working to save the newspaper, which shows that Interrobang is, as I said at the beginning, a symbol of hope and not simply a newspaper made by rookies. I hope to hear from Hannah in May that they are preparing new features for the next academic year, instead saying goodbye to this publication forever.

Hope is the last thing to be lost.