“You’re the publisher? So, you’re mean? I am not supposed to like you.” These were the words uttered to me by a prominent journalist at a recent Spectator event and likely the original sentiment of many of Speccies that I had the privilege to work with over the years. While such greetings were daunting, I understand the initial hesitation—for two years, I was the “No” guy. I was the nagging voice reminding my peers about the “bottom line.”

Admittedly, I joined Spectator freshman year for the opportunity to help manage an autonomous company, rather than because of an interest in newspapers. The publisher at the time ran me through her long list of day-to-day responsibilities and concluded, “That’s what I can think of off of the top of my head, but the most exciting stuff is ad hoc.” I was impressed.

Spectator became my life almost too quickly. The driven senior staff educated me about the particulars of a large student-run company, from selling ads to handling lawsuits. By sophomore year, I cared more about sitting in on the publisher and directors’ business meetings and conference calls than, well, any kind of life outside of the office.

Despite my confidence that I understood the Spectator, however, when I got to my first managing board meeting I realized that it was still a mystery to me how the content actually got into the paper every morning. I also realized that it was a mystery to the editors how the Spectator paid its bills.

To my surprise, endeavoring to navigate the often-awkward partnership was an experience that changed my life. The fantastic opportunity to develop a level of business skills that the publisher position offered was augmented by the chance to meld business and editorial priorities. While palpable examples of successful and failed teamwork abound, what I will always be grateful for are the lessons that I learned from working together.

Spectator showed me that my peers would be the ones to teach me many of the most formative lessons at Columbia. I was always astounded by the editorial creativity and business savvy of the staff, and as a result, I quickly learned that the passion put forward in proposals for the paper’s expansion or alteration had to be matched, as much as possible, with equally thought-through “yes” or, the more often cited, “no” decisions.

Ultimately, Spectator made my time at Columbia extraordinary. I joined the staff thinking about the chance to learn about business, but, in time, realized that the “ad hoc” stuff that excited my predecessor would build the relationships and experiences that kept me coming back to the office and pushed me to run for a second term.

I will miss the past and present members of the business staff that caught all of my mistakes, kept me grounded, kept me calm, and showed me that I will always have a lot to learn. I am thankful for the editors that I have been privileged to work with over the years. We have worked together to achieve some fantastic goals. And, of course, special thanks for Dan, Ellen, and Tom for keeping the whole place together.

The author is a Columbia College senior majoring in political science. He was an associate sales representative on the 129th Associate Board and the publisher on the 130st and 131st Managing Boards.