My year in News Journalism is coming to a close, and bigger than anything I could’ve ever learned from Mrs. Basinger is the newfound appreciation I have for the students in our school. Stepping out of my comfort zone to interview people I’d never talked to before has made me much more personable, and I recognize substantially more people in the hallways than I would’ve before.

There are aspects of the newsroom I didn’t enjoy as much. I have a big passion for writing that developed this year, but the harder reporting we worked on wasn’t what sparked that. I found my voice by writing satire and entertainment pieces. I loved when readers would come tell me how much they enjoyed one of my stories – knowing that I can make people smile in spite of all the negativity in the world around us is really neat.

I’m going to continue writing even though I’m not returning next year, because it’s my dream to one day work for Barstool Sports. I’m very thankful for the memories, laughs, lessons, and rewards that come from being a part of our news staff.