You may have seen me. I’ve been out there a lot — random places, holding a camera. I promise I was working on stuff. Journalism stuff. News. Maybe sometimes I was messing around for art class or because I felt like it. But, like, usually it was work.
Thanks for being chill about it, if you were ever photographed. Thanks for talking to me about everything, too. Good things, bad things, sometimes even personal things. Thanks for being willing to share what you had to say. It was great meeting all of you and getting to know the community a little better with each person I photographed or talked to.
Thanks for helping me create the work that pointed me in the direction I want to take my life, and that kept me in the organization that’ll help me get where I want to go. I hope that, even in small ways, the stories and photographs helped people feel better about the school we go to and the place we live.
The Miami Student gave me a greater purpose than I thought I’d have in college. It also gave me a lot of good times. I’m going to miss hanging out in the newsroom, photographing sports games and getting out on the street to pursue a story or a picture. The Student was also one of the places I got to better know my best friend.
It’s crazy to think it’s over now, but I hope everyone reading this has also gotten something positive out of The Student in the last four years.
A collection of some of Jake Ruffer's favorite photo's.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Read More
Not my Miami
By Frankie McKnight | 6 days agoContributing writer Frankie McKnight examines what "my Miami" means after an alumnus claims Miami is no longer what they knew.
Why out-of-state students should refrain from voting in local and state elections
By Harry Hittle | April 25, 2024Should out-of-state students vote in local and state elections? Contrinuting writer Harry Hittle examines the moral dilemnas that come with this decision.
Not getting a job straight out of college is OK, and can be encouraged
By Molly Francis | April 23, 2024Opinion writer Molly Francis urges college students to consider how a gap year may be more beneficial than getting a job right after graduation.