All about me.

When I was in first grade, I was looking around the library, and picked up "Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock" and read as much as I could understand and started to fall in love with journalism. After I read "Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock" I became obsessed with the idea of investigative journalism but I wasn't able to practice the craft until high school.

 

I took a class called Journalistic Expression sophomore year that walked you through the basics of journalism such as the four pillars every good journalist should know, what makes a story newsworthy, how to write in every section and how to layout a print paper.

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Not only did we learn about that but we read books such as "Nothing to Envy" by Barbra Demick and "Dispatches From the Edge" by Anderson Cooper. These books broadened my outlook on seeking out the news. With Demick's book, I was able to understand that the journalist is really holding a microphone up to the peoples' voices to amplify the struggles that they are going through. With my features writing, I try my best to look at different perspectives when writing to see both sides of the coin. Cooper's book taught me to really immerse yourself in the story. These longer, in-depth writings are what made me fall in love with journalism deeper.

 

After a year of learning the basics, I was hooked and wanted to practice this skill, so I decided to enroll in the school newspaper called the Blueprint as their Entertainment Editor. Sadly, we were hit with the pandemic, which made Zoom calls and group chats the main way we kept our team connected. The year was tough, but it allowed me to see how resilient the team was. Through we were remote there was a lot of content to cover: COVID-19 updates, the BLM protests, presidential debates, elections as well as smaller school projects. 

 

The next year I took a role as one of the three Editors-in-Chief helping the new staff as we made our way back in person. This was a challenge for us all, learning the works of the newsroom, making sure deadlines were in place and people knew their assigned dates. On top of that, we had to figure out software we didn't have access to. It was a challenge the first few months, but now the newsroom buzzes with excitement. This is a drastic change from the blank screens and glitchy calls I grew accustomed to. 

 

While the challenge was rough, I had the help of my two other Editors-in-Chief to build a safe environment for our staff to get their work done and enjoy being a part of the newspaper. 

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Journalism has been one of the pillars in my life. It has allowed me to become confident to ask questions and seek out the news. And it has combined my two favorite things. Writing and being nosy!