I was the kid in elementary school who couldn’t bear to squeeze their 10-page masterpiece of fiction into a measly two page limit. Whether it was writing, painting, dancing or even knitting, if it involved creativity, I was all in. However, when my brother’s friend suggested I should take journalism, I hesitated. Journalistic style writing wasn’t necessarily “creative” to me, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Nevertheless, curiosity (and the enticing New York trip) got the best of me and I decided to try it out. Little did I know how much these three years in journalism would mean to me.
Although I didn’t exactly fall in love with doing Radical Writes and taking AP style quizzes in J1, I distinctly remember the thrill I felt writing my very first practice article about dating in high school. Writing an article, ordering each quote into its place and seamlessly connecting them was just like piecing together a puzzle and creating a masterpiece (that fits within the page limit!). When I was picked as one of the first J1 articles to be published for the March issue, it felt surreal to see my writing printed in an actual newspaper. After that, I was determined to get published for the rest of my high school journalism career.
The following year was my first year on staff. As an Arts Editor I got to explore the creative aspect of journalism, from writing about the social media app BeReal to aesthetic cafes. I also went out of my comfort zone and tried writing from a more critical perspective about TikTok consumerism and driver’s education. Outside of the writing aspect of journalism, although I was a junior, I was still intimidated by all of the seniors in the class (even though they were the nicest people ever) and stayed in my own bubble of a few close friends, stressing about junior year and using class time as a study hall. To this day, I regret keeping to myself and not getting to know other people in the class. Don’t be me! Interact with your upperclassmen and underclassmen!
This year was when I became a Features Editor and truly realized the impact of the journalism community that everyone cherishes dearly. Here, you forget about the usual rigor of high school and just enjoy spending time with your friends in the present moment. Whether it was sifting through the numerous features articles with George and Claire, venting about friendship drama, last minute studying with the juniors for AP World or engaging in heated debates about the best way to fry an egg, this class has allowed me to be a contributing and valued member of a community filled with amazing people.
In addition to journalism, I had the privilege of exploring even more of my passions and being part of several other communities that I never would have thought to join. Although I never got to go on the famous New York Trip, I got to travel to Georgia, Florida and California thanks to the DECA club. I got to plan school dances and fundraisers with my closest friends as part of SGA. I even created a community of my own when I founded my own club to give back to military and veteran members. If you asked me four years ago if I saw myself doing any of these things, I would have said you were crazy.
And now here I am, sitting in disbelief as I wrap up my very last article for The Observer. As I get ready to close my high school chapter and move onto the next one at University of Notre Dame, I will never forget the memories I have made and the people I have met here. For those reading this, my advice for you is to put yourself out there and try something new. Who knows, it might lead you to create a real masterpiece.
