Junior forward Louis Volker dribbles the ball while covered by a Saint Joseph’s defender at a Feb. 25 women’s basketball game. (Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)

Volker to depart George Mason after graduating this Spring

BY LOUIS VOLKER, COPY EDITOR

To my great disappointment, I didn’t uncover any conspiracies while working at Fourth Estate. As far as I know, there are no secret societies, no underground tunnels and — most heartbreaking of all — no lizard-people. 

Either I’m a bad journalist, or Mason was simply a genuinely great place to earn a degree.

I played basketball here. A lot of it. I am happy to report that I still love it very much. When I was 11 years old, my best friends’ dad won a courtside ticket to a women’s basketball game at Mason. We got to take a picture with Natalie Butler after. It was the first time I thought that maybe college basketball was for me. Thank you very much for that, George Mason — turns out it is! 

Fourth Estate has left me changed in surprising ways. For one, I wasn’t expecting to make lasting friends the way I did. I can definitely say that everyone on the staff is a quality person who deserves gold stars for days. 

It hurts to leave. Bad, like, worse than I expected. I sort of feel like a teenager about to move to Missouri again. Mason did this weird thing where it snuck up on me and turned into a home behind my back (rude). 

Now, out of nowhere, I have to listen to Slayyyter to keep myself from getting upset while trying to figure out how the heck I’m going to move my bookshelf out of my apartment. 

While I’m thrilled for my future, it’s hard to turn the page and close this chapter. Typical — I am a secret sucker for a bittersweet coming-of-age teen movie. 

I love my friends, I love my editors and I love to write. While this is a “see you later,” (I refuse to let it be a permanent goodbye), I’ve done a lot of stuff that I’ll never get to do ever again in Fairfax. This is a sentiment I’d most like to leave with you, dear reader — I am going to miss Mason like an old friend, and I worry that enthusiasm for the university is in scarce supply. 

I am a firm believer that sincerity is the most important asset someone can have, and apathy is for the birds. You have nothing to gain from indifference, and everything to gain from enthusiasm. 

I love Mason because I love the people I’ve found myself working (and singing karaoke) with. This isn’t high school! Stop trying to be cool! Your fear of looking stupid is holding you back!

I’m looking forward to continuing to keep up with what Fourth Estate publishes in the future, and fully intend to watch every movie review they release in the future like a hawk. I’m sure they’re going to be great; the more contrarian, the better. 

The paper is in great hands. See you, Space Cowboys. Make good choices and don’t do drugs.