I would like to start off this column by welcoming all students, faculty and staff back to Clark for spring quarter. As you can probably see, our previous Editor-in-Chief Rylan Sorenson is no longer with us. Rylan was Editor-in-Chief of The Independent during the fall and winter quarters of this academic year, but he has since moved on to bigger and better things and is now attending Portland State University (PSU) and writing for the campus newspaper. I feel very lucky to have worked with Rylan, and I wish him the best of luck in life, wherever it may take him.
    To be quite honest, I think my biggest challenge during my first week as Editor-in-Chief has been trying to think of something to write for my column. I had tons of ideas in my head, but for some reason they all sounded cheesy when I started to think about them a little more. After many days of putting this grueling task off, I finally decided to just write about some experiences that I recently had while visiting Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Wash. where I will be going to school next year.
    I don’t know about all you guys, but I would have to say that spring quarter is always the hardest and longest quarter for me. I think my brain checks into summer mode around the second day of the quarter. Unfortunately, I will be taking a couple of summer classes at Clark this year, so I can have my AA Degree before I go up to WSU. I guess I took a few too many quarters of the newspaper class when I should’ve been taking classes that counted towards my degree. Oh well, it was worth it.
    Back to my main point, if you’re like me and you’re going to be transferring to a four-year university at the end of this school year, I have one important suggestion, get your AA Degree! It will make things so much easier and clearer. While up at WSU, I was scared to death when I saw my transcript -- it literally looked like I had done nothing. However, when I nervously asked my adviser about it, she simply said, “Don’t worry, your AA will cover everything.” What a relief!