It’s with a bittersweet tone that my stay in the Sun City will be coming to an end this Friday. I’m excited to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in creative writing and to head back home to the frozen tundra of Buffalo, New York, while I decide which university I’ll attend for my fifth year of college football and my master’s degree.

Since 2014, the journey that the college process has taken me on has been full of ups and downs, with the positive moments being uplifting and the negatives leaving lessons on the table.

This column has no deep undertones or wily quips in it. It’s simply an opportunity for me to write a thank you letter on a higher platform, to you, El Paso, for some of the most memorable years of my life thus far.

It’s an ode to a city that’s often forgotten in the grand scale of Texas and its distant location from the common hotspots of Dallas and Austin.

El Paso has instilled in me an appreciation for the border and the culture that comes with it. The culture of tremendously hard-working and friendly people, who welcomed me with open arms in 2014 and never made me feel homesick, despite being 1,900 miles away.

El Paso is its own desert existence, nestled into its own geographical region. It’s nearly a Washington D.C. of the desert, an entity of its own, touching Texas, Mexico and New Mexico.

The summers are cripplingly hot and the winters are friendly and mild. When snow falls from the sky on that one chosen day per year, it’s a celebration in itself. The dry desert packs a certain feel, an aura that doesn’t exist elsewhere. The sunsets are streaked with palates of orange and red hues that cascade over the landscape and illuminate the city before nightfall. The nights are crystal clear and simply stunning when viewed a few miles out of the city.

It’s a city of diehard sports fans that have endured for many years. As a Bills fan, I can relate. In fact, El Paso and Buffalo have more similarities than one might think.

They’re both border cities with views, whether of the Franklin Mountains or Niagara Falls, that takes one’s breath away. Both towns are blue collar and hospitable, with folks who are happy to see visitors and welcome them with open arms, eager to share their culture and norms.

I’d like to think that an El Pasoan would feel the same sense of being at home should they ever travel to Buffalo.

In the midst of what can seem messy, a bright future lies ahead. Every city goes through its rough patches, and as the seemingly endless construction shows immense progress, as UTEP gets a new athletic director, the theme of better days is right around the corner.

When the roads are clear and bustling, the city will flow like never before.

UTEP athletics will rebound under Jim Senter’s fresh and much -needed guidance. The constantly developing land, from the Montecillo area all the way down Mesa Street, is a harbinger of a quickly growing city. The promise for an exciting future has never been higher.

To my former teammates I say thank you for these last four seasons. To my friends at the Prospector, I’m grateful for the platform to express my thoughts to a bigger audience and to work in a professional but friendly setting. To my professors, I’m appreciative of the learning process you’ve continued to tap into as I develop as a writer and improve. To El Paso, I’m thankful for three and a half years that I’ll never forget.

I look forward to visiting the Sun City in the future, and wish everyone the absolute best of luck.

Augie Touris may be reached at [email protected].