Today concludes my internship at National Review.

I don’t mean to sound saccharine or obsequious, but that’s precisely how this post is going to read; I only have glowing things to say about my summer at NR.

Oh, well — there are worse problems to have!

(If you think I’m whistling “Dixie,” you can corroborate my account with my fellow interns — Sahar, Scott, and Alex — and, soon, with Natan.)

Though I’d like to believe I’ve become a better writer this summer, I struggle to adequately convey my affection for the publication and everyone I’ve had the privilege of working with.

Nevertheless, I must try!

First and foremost, a big thank-you to the editors for giving me free rein with respect to topics: I mean, I have pieces defending the ATF, congestion-pricing in NYC, and Barbie. A few people deserve a special shout-out: Jack Butler, for tirelessly wading through my loose sentences; Dominic Pino and Andrew Stuttaford, for clarifying economics concepts for me; Judson Berger, for disabusing me of my penchant for pedantic headlines; and Jay Nordlinger, for spending many lunches sharing stories of William F. Buckley Jr. and writing tips with me and my fellow interns.

Suffice it to say, I learned much from my National Review mentors. I also profited immensely from conversing with my fellow interns on a sprawling range of topics.

Sahar’s, Alex’s, Scott’s, Natan’s, and my areas of interest, specific species of conservatism, and writing styles all differ; I thank each of them for making me substantially less ignorant. (I can only hope they learned a thing or two from me!)

When Alexander Hughes left on August 11, National Review responded to my melancholic tweet lamenting my friend’s departure with a GIF: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” I will do my best to heed this trite but wise advice.

At the beginning of the summer, Jay informed me that William F. Buckley Jr. began conversations with “News, views?” and ended them with the Spanish exclamation, “¡Entonces!”

Now that my internship has come to its end, I’ll borrow that:

¡Entonces!