This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made in my life, but I will be leaving the Ohio State sports beat and sports journalism to go back to college and pursue a career in accounting and finance.

Having the opportunity to cover Ohio State athletics and other major athletic teams/events here in the great state of Ohio has been a dream come true and the experience of a lifetime.

If you would’ve told me three years ago that I would get to cover Ohio State in such big events like the College Football Playoff, the Rose Bowl, and The Game vs. Michigan, I never would’ve believed it could happen, but yet here I am three years later looking back on the incredible opportunities I’ve had.

I’ve gotten to cover Ohio State athletics all across this country, from Chicago to Texas and from New York to L.A.

I’ve covered some of the most high-profile events such as the College Football Playoff, the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, multiple Big Ten Championships and Tournaments as well as quite a few big rivalry games.

I’ve gotten to cover and follow and cover Tiger Woods in The Memorial Tournament mere months before he won The Masters, I’ve covered multiple Stanley Cup playoff runs by the Columbus Blue Jackets as well as several Cleveland Indians games.

When I first came out as transgender in the summer of 2017, I thought that any hope of a successful career in sports media was dead to me, but looking back two years later, I am so incredibly happy that that was not the case.

I want to thank my bosses at Associated Press Radio for blessing me with the opportunities that I have been given over the past couple of years. There are very few people and networks in this industry who are willing to employ someone like me simply because I’m trans, so I am eternally grateful for them taking a chance on a young trans woman like me.

I am sad to be leaving a job that I love, but I am hopeful and excited for the future. Sports media and media in general scare me at the moment for their future and I finally had to admit to myself that the odds of me being able to have a successful career in sports media while also being able to pay my bills were slim to none.

I am heartbroken that I have to leave a career that I love so much, but I am forever grateful for the opportunities the past three years have afforded me and I am excited to be going back to school to pursue a career that I believe I will be just as successful in, as well as be able to make ends meet. I am confident that in my new career field, I will be able to support myself financially much more than I currently do, having had to work multiple part-time jobs on the side of the full-time work that I’ve done covering Ohio State athletics.

Ohio State athletics and sports in general have always been a huge part of my life and have always meant the world to me, but there are more important things ahead in my life that I am looking forward to achieving by switching career fields (owning a home, having a family, being able to go out socially more than once a month, etc.).

I am also looking forward to becoming more politically active in the LGBTQ+ community here in Central Ohio and at large. I have already reached out to multiple organizations to volunteer in making our community a better place for LGBTQ+ people. Some things in life matter much more than sports and this is one of those things to me that I am very passionate about and look forward to investing my time in.

As for covering Ohio State athletics, don’t you folks worry. I will still be writing stories and covering the Buckeyes from afar, though probably not nearly as often as I have in the past few years. I will always be active on Twitter dot com in terms of covering and supporting the #localteam (sup D.J. Byrnes?). I’m actually working on starting up a podcast geared towards covering all the happenings in Ohio State football, basketball, etc. through my site, BuckeyeBeatReport.com. And who knows? I may pop up at the occasional weekly interview session to grab a couple quotes for some stories.

Lastly, I want to thank a few people on the Ohio State beat who have been incredibly kind to me throughout my time on the beat.

To Tony Gerdeman, Tom Orr and Caroline Rice at The O-Zone, thank you. When I first joined the beat, I felt intimidated and felt like I didn’t belong, but Tony and Tom made me feel like I was one of them and I am forever grateful for their kindness. Caroline, thanks for being my gal pal on the beat the past couple years and for always getting my good angles for IG. I’m going to miss getting our pics down on the field/court before the game.

Thank you to the legend himself, Tim May, for your kindness and friendship as well. When I first started working on the beat, seeing Tim was so surreal as I had been reading his coverage for years. When I first met him, I realized he was one of the most down-to-earth guys I had ever met. I’m going to miss working on the same beat as him and he still owes me a game of TopGolf.

Lastly, I want to thank the most awesome woman and person in general in sports media, Lori Schmidt. I’ve never mentioned this publicly, but when I first came out as transgender ahead of my first full season covering Ohio State athletics, Lori was the first person to reach out to me and welcome me both to the beat and womanhood with open arms. That first fall covering Ohio State as openly trans was extremely hard for me and Lori was always there for me to cheer me up or help me build confidence in myself. I will always consider us like sisters in sports media and I could never put a value on how much her friendship has meant to me. Thank you, Lori <3.

I’m sure there are some other folks that I’m forgetting at the moment as I write this, but thank you to everyone else in Columbus sports media who have been so incredible kind and friendly to me over the past few years.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to returning to college and for this new direction in my life.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me and supported me throughout my time covering Ohio State athletics. Please don’t unfollow me on Twitter.

If any of you want to get in contact with me, you can find me at Ohio Stadium on August 31st where I’ll be back in the bleachers with the rest of Buckeye Nation!