I was bitten by the bug in the fall of 2000, and it hasn’t let go ever since.

Sometimes I wonder if there even is a cure. The infection seems to be impressively persistent, as all my attempts to battle it have proven to be essentially futile.

The regular fixes of adrenaline rushes during deadlines and the daily doses of clicking keyboards, flashing computer screens and bottomless cups of coffee are just too good to give up.

I admit it: I’m a junkie. I’ve been addicted to La Voz, and I haven’t really made any serious attempts to come clean. It’s hard to quit.

Besides, the withdrawal symptoms are as unpleasant as they are strange. I’ve found myself dreaming up headlines while sleeping and drawing up page designs while driving, especially during school breaks.

After almost every excruciating all-nighter in the newsroom, I would cuss, curse and swear in the name of my red editing pen to never again enslave myself to an addiction that eats up most of my time and drowns out most of my energy.

Come Monday morning, though, I would be back in the newsroom, along with the rest of the crew, aching for more.

I was at a journalism conference recently, where one of the keynote speakers summed up the traits of the journalistic profession the following way: “It’s 24-7, it’s 365, it’s $20,000 a year, but it’s the only job worth having.”

That’s the kind of addiction I’m talking about. It’s the worst kind … and the best. It’s pure passion.

I treasure every minute I spent at La Voz, even the really bad ones, when everything seemed to go wrong, when we were criticized for covering certain events, like the DeGuzman letters, and chastised for not adequately covering other events, such as Student Senate budget deliberations.

However, I still get the biggest kicks whenever I see anyone pick up a copy of La Voz on Mondays — or any day, for that matter. It makes me realize that it’s not only worth it but that I want more of it.

And I’m not alone with my addiction. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a wonderfully talented and dedicated staff. One that has been generous enough to humor my gripes and honor my guidelines.

That makes it all the harder to leave the position of Editor-In-Chief behind. Like I said, it’s hard to quit.

Luckily, I’m neither the first nor last junkie La Voz will ever see.

This student newspaper believes in a quarterly rotation of executive editorial positions. Everybody qualified and willing to spend the time and energy gets a chance to work their way up the ladder to the Managing Editor position, which leads to the position of Editor-In-Chief for the subsequent quarter.

After one quarter of service, the Editor-In-Chief steps aside to assume the position of Editor Emeritus and helps facilitate newspaper management and production.

And so it goes. The objective is to provide a chance for as many devoted students as possible to get a shot at running La Voz and become experienced in the trade of journalism.

The real reason, I suspect, lies in making as many students as possible addicted to La Voz.

To me, that cause seems to be noble enough. I’ll subscribe to it.

As for those who have been showing their interest and support by reading La Voz and providing valuable feedback, let me extend my gratitude to you as well. Thank you for making my time with La Voz a most worthwhile and enjoyable addiction.