This is the end.

After hours of school board meetings, interviews, research and tens of thousands of words later, my high school journalism career has come to an end.

It’s been a wild ride. Each story I pursued brought me closer to the greater community. I met hundreds of interesting people, visited fascinating places and explored new things. Sharing my reporting with you has been an incredible opportunity and responsibility.

I have matured into an engaged citizen, a storyteller, and most of all an eternally curious individual. Each day I am always wanting to learn and know more, picking up on the small details in the world around me. It has become my instinct to always ask questions.

Through the challenges, hard work and determination needed to succeed in journalism, I have discovered a passion for truth and accountability.

I’ve had the opportunity to tell stories that have made an impact. When concerns arose over safety at the high school, I exposed flaws that resulted in security improvements. I’ve helped start dialogue around administrative hiring practices, schedule changes and inadequate study halls.

When tense contract negotiations in October 2016 led to the brink of a strike, I worked to keep the community informed. I spent close to a dozen hours camped with professional journalists outside of school district offices.

Over the last few months, I’ve worked on the New Voices campaign, supporting legislation that would protect student journalists at the Register, and around the state, from administrative censorship and prior review. I’m hopeful this bill will allow student reporters to pursue meaningful stories in the future without fear of backlash.

A big thank you to Beth Fialko Casey and David Lamberti, the Register’s faculty advisers. They have had my back through challenges, and they’ve supported my efforts and goals, no matter how ambitious, every step of the way. Whether it be driving us to a journalism conference at 4 a.m., or helping me get to an awards ceremony in Seattle, your commitment is appreciated.

Thank you to all of our readers for your support over the last few years. Without your interest and engagement, the Register would not be where it is today. I appreciate everyone who took the time to talk with me, share story ideas, post comments, send me emails and share my work.

Thank you to the Register staff, and my co-editor Jake Bucci. It’s been a pleasure to work with you each week.

While my journey at Burlington High School is coming to an end, the future for the Register is brimming with potential. I’ve worked hard along with my staff to build our publication to be a robust, bi-weekly newspaper with a strong online presence. This May, we received the incredible honor of being named the top student newspaper in New England, for a class II school size.

With every end, comes a new beginning. I will be studying journalism at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick next fall.  There are countless stories left to tell, and many people left to meet. I look forward to continuing my reporting in future, and sharing my work with you.

All the best,

Alexandre Silberman

If you are interested in following my work in the future, you can do so by liking my Facebook page, and following me on Twitter.