“Cities were always like people, showing their varying personalities to the traveler. Depending on the city and the traveler, there might begin a mutual love.” — Roman Payne

I remember my parents, co-workers, friends and others wondered why I wanted to take the 10-mile hike up I-635 followed by a nearly 230-mile journey west to this metropolis in the middle of Western Kansas to go to school. It was a move that almost everybody in my life questioned at the time.

“Why Hays?” they said. “What’s out there? It’s boring.”

Today, I hope I can give answers as I prepare to close this five-and-a-half-year chapter. I’ll be back.

I had one goal in high school and that was to graduate and get out of Kansas City. I had friends and supporters, but it wasn’t my place at the time. I was just like any teenager who thought they knew everything. I wanted to escape. About a month into my senior year of high school, I received a recruitment DVD from Fort Hays State’s Media Studies Department. After watching it, I decided to ask my mom to go visit — and the rest was history.

After moving away from the Kansas City area in August, I quickly started to get involved in several student groups, including the Sigma Chi Fraternity, which gave me a base of friends for my stay. They aren’t just friends anymore, but a set of brothers. We’ve laughed and cried together while creating our own college anecdotes throughout the past few years. My mother questioned the decision, but because of the ideals that were installed and my experiences, I believe I’ve became a better person. Sigma Chi at Fort Hays State proves that the traditional stereotypical view of “frats” don’t exist everywhere.

Thank you, Hays, for providing a solid group of people that have and continue to support me.

Throughout my five years at Fort Hays State, I was also fortunate to advance the ranks at our campus radio and television station, now known as the Tiger Media Network. Within a week on campus, I had a camera in my hand. A year later I was reporting. Fast-forward another year and I found myself producing a newscast. Nowadays I feel like my junior year resume could match up with any graduate of a big-name J-School.

Thank you, Hays, for the opportunities you’ve rewarded to me. I feel confident that my experience in this career has equipped me for this next step.

I decided to add another year on after a scheduling fluke my senior year of college that set me up with a semester full of research projects. After discussing it with my friends and family, it seemed right to cut back and do things right. Thank God I did. About a year later, before graduation, I landed my first job with Eagle, writing for something my grandmother calls “ahead of its time.” Throughout the past year and a half, I rushed around our newsroom as another piece of a convergent media puzzle. The experience provided me with an opportunity to follow a couple of underdogs and cover the POTUS during a stop in Kansas. Throw a weekly radio show into the mix, and there’s not much more a freshman reporter can ask for.

But the time has come to move on. My friends here are slowly heading to other place and starting their next chapters and my parents are starting to age. The story says if you don’t get to know them now, you’ll regret it later on. It’s time to move on to a bigger market — where my dreams and goals can continue to advance.

As I reminisce on my time here, I can’t help but to say thank you to the people that make this place beat. It’s a thriving, wonderful little town out here on the plains with a bolstering economy and wonderful personalities that each have a different, unique story to tell.

Last year, I followed Mirta Martin’s journey to a university presidency-an enthusiastic, energetic woman who inspires almost every person she meets with her tale of the American Dream.

Christie and Curt Brungardt: They’ve taken one of the hardest situations that any parent has to go through and turned it into a thriving organization. Christie recently thanked me for an article I did on the five-year anniversary of Jana’s Campaign in December. While I appreciated the comment, I couldn’t help but thank her and Curt for saving so many lives through their relentless efforts in light of a terrible situation.

Or how about Brenda Meder? She works tirelessly to keep a thriving arts community going each and every day by inspiring young artists while continuously appreciating the work of those that have added a few gray hairs.

And, on a more personal note, my now-former coworkers at Eagle. During my tenure, they supported my education at FHSU, and they’ve been even more supportive over the past two weeks despite the minor inconveniences that my absence will bring.

That’s just a tiny, microscopic sample of the numerous, amazing anecdotes that happen every day in this community. These stories don’t happen everywhere, but they happen in Hays and I stand thankful today that I got to meet and associate with this community during my short stay. During my final meeting with my boss, I reminded him of one of his quotes during his introduction about people constantly “berating a community and looking at everything that’s wrong” — and finding a way around it.

But as I take my final look at this town for what may be months or even years, I chose to do the opposite as I say goodbye. This place has provided me with a beautiful, different aspect on life, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Thank you, Hays, for letting this city kid experience the wonderful Western Kansas hospitality for the past 5 ½ years. Today, I stand humble and thankful for my decision to spend a little bit of my life here and, when weddings, formals and even funerals come around and it’s time to take another look back, the memories I made here are sure to put a smile on my face. Just like the one found in Jeff Durall’s office.

Thank you, Hays. I’ll be back.

Nick Budd joined the staff of Hays Post/Eagle Radio in 2014.