I came to Sacramento State in the fall of 2006, but it wasn’t until spring 2008 that I started to love this place. Faculty and administration were bickering like kids when I first got here and that made for a miserable experience. Had Sylvia Fox not directed me to The State Hornet after the fall 2006 semester, I would have surely dropped out of college.

Since this is teacher appreciation week, and I only have one column left after this, it’s time for me to thank all the educators who have molded me and kept me on track.

The only fair way to do this is start at my childhood and progress forward.

The amazing teachers at St. John Vianney deserve a great deal of appreciation. Mrs. Boen’s encouragement was pivotal in my development and future success as a writer. Mrs. Nubacher was patient with my beyond-deficient math skills and has my eternal gratitude for her dedication.

At Christian Brothers High School, Brother George and Mr. Schuman continued the proud tradition of educators who held my hand through basic math. My world history teacher, Ms. Jenkins, crowned me the “jaded cynic” in my junior year of high school; it’s because of her I adopted the column name.

Mr. English, Mr. Kirrene and Mr. McIntosh all did their part to build my critical thinking skills, general knowledge and vocabulary.

Ms. Ibarra: Thank you for being a foxy Spanish teacher who made it impossible to concentrate in class. In all seriousness, you were tough but fair and it’s not your fault I struggled with the language for so long.

After several semesters at American River College, I finally decided to become a journalism major. Chuck Mount, a career reporter from Chicago, taught the ins and outs of the industry to all who cared to listen. William Wrightson taught history and further advanced my ability to rationalize and come to thoughtful conclusions.

Timi Poeppelman: I’m eternally sorry for how I acted when you filled in for a class I was enrolled in at American River. I acted like a jackass and any assumptions you have about me are probably true.

Then I got to Sac State. Even though I had trouble feeling like I belonged on this campus for three semesters, there were instructors who made positive impacts on my life during that time. Assistant professor Kevin Wehr has a way of cutting through the minutiae like no one else. His lectures on music and popular culture were deep, thoughtful and always engaging.

Fox had a way of kicking me in the stomach when I couldn’t – or wouldn’t – do my work properly that was motivational and beneficial.

Chair of the communication studies department Nick Burnett legitimized me overnight when he torched me in a letter to the editor he wrote after one of my first opinion columns. It was beautiful. I still keep a copy of the letter tacked to the wall in the newsroom.

Lecturer Paul Sandul is a great instructor and close friend. I have known him for years and I greatly appreciate the way he challenges my perceptions and assumptions on a constant basis. He may suffocate me with his liberal nonsense from time to time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Alan Miller is a great man. Not only did he make one of my favorite writers, Mike Royko, required reading, he reached out to me and still e-mails me to this day when he likes something I write.

Lecturer Sigrid Bathen is another journalism instructor I can’t say enough good things about. You opened many doors and created numerous opportunities for me. Thank you.

No list of people I am forever indebted to would be complete without acknowledging my editor and the future editor-in-chief for the Hornet, Todd Wilson. Todd, you are going to do big things with this paper. Furthermore, you have been my partner in crime and have helped me find how to be insightful and inflammatory. I can only hope our careers will cross paths again.

Of course, I can’t mention education at Sac State without heaping praise onto the Hornet’s faculty adviser Holly Heyser. Whatever she is getting paid is not nearly enough. Holly is a true professional, and this school is blessed to have her. Thank you for letting me find my voice. Thank you for letting me be myself. Thank you for being you.

Finally, the greatest teachers of all: my family. My parents are still married, and we live in the same house I grew up in. So few people get that luxury; I feel guilty having it. I really have no way of putting into words my gratitude and appreciation for them. To my brothers: Thank you for the advice, the guidance and the beatings. David, thanks for teaching me how to stand up for myself. Bobby, thank you for putting the heat on me to make sure I graduated.

Even though we aren’t technically family yet, I need to thank my future wife. Courtney, you put up with my mood swings, my shortcomings and my selfishness. There’s no one I would rather walk through life with.

There are people who mean the world to me who did not make this list. My close childhood friends come to mind. Please do not think I forgot about you or have minimized your impact on my life. To my family at the Hornet, thank you for putting up with me and/or staying out of my way. I love you all.

Jordan Guinn can be reached at [email protected]