Sunday mornings, six to nine.

In early February, Clark came into the studio during a show I was covering. I didn't have a permanant show yet, and didn't think I was likely to get one in the near future. He asked if we could take a walk when I finished up. My stomach turned over with butterflies, but I tried not to let the thought of him offering me a show manifest. Trying not to get my hopes up. He came in again towards the end to remind me of our walk. He was smiling. Again, I told myself, no, it's not that, don't get your hopes up. Of course they already were. Of course I was hoping this was it.

After the show, I went into the office and we started walking around the UC. He asked me what I think about when I talk into the mic. My smile sort of slid off my face. This wasn't about offering me a show, this was about how I needed to work on live radio. I could hardly get through a newscast without slaughtering it and screwing it up. That's what this was about. Clark gave me some advice on how to overcome that anxiety and how to have a smoother, better sounding presence.

"I think of the mic like a person, like I'm talking to a person," he said. "It sounds silly, but it helps."

A few weeks later, I sat on the couch, and Clark was talking to another DJ, writing him up for missing too many shifts.

"If that time just doesn't work for you, we'll have to give it to someone else. We have other times, if that would help you." He listed a few. "Sunday six to nine AM just opened up."

"Oh, no, I can't do that," the other DJ said. My ears pricked up and I waited until the guy left when I said to Clark - very bashfully - "I could fill that six to nine."

He smiled and said he'd have to talk to Ben. I went to class and came back and they both turned their chairs to face me when I sat down. They had talked about it. They didn't think I had enough experience. They didn't think I had enough face time. The dozen other shows I'd already covered, the 120 million hours I'd spent in that office. They smiled and said it was mine. And I couldn't stop smiling. Kyle walked in and looked down and asked what I was so happy about.

"You are looking at the new six to nine Sunday morning DJ," Clark said.

"Congratulations," Kyle said and I couldn't stop smiling.

I just finished my last six to nine Sunday morning show.

It's not that I am terribly sad. A little, only because I was so attached to it. When Clark offered me the Monday mornings six to nine, I turned it down, even though I would have had more listeners. I just liked the Sunday morning. I don't care about getting up at 5:30, it's always worth it. It was always worth it.

I'm a little sad, but this is just the beginning. This is a new opportunity. Besides, this year has had a very strong impact on me. I never had any idea that radio would be what I would fall in love with. DJing at that. I would have never guessed that would become my second home, that I would pour my heart and passion into it. At the end of every show I did, I would think, man, what a great show. There was never a bad one. This has been one of the best experiences of my life, and it has shaped what I'd like to do with the rest of it.

KJACK will be an opportunity to apply what I have learned, and spread a standard of college radio, striving to give other people the opportunities KBGA has given me. I have learned an incredible amount. I can't thank KBGA and all the people involved enough. I'll miss it, but this is just the beginning.

"I think of my life as a series of projects," Clark said.

Well this is one hell of a project ahead of me.