Morgan Freeman once said, “Challenge yourself. It’s the only path the leads to growth.” High school is not just a phase of education, but a chapter in the story of who we are and what makes us. My mom always told me that high school is just the beginning of a lifelong journey for us all.
Before taking News, I was very shy and introverted. I kept my head down in the hallways and didn’t normally go out on the weekends. I never would go out and try to make new friends or try new things. But my senior year of school was almost like a breakthrough for me.
It’s accurate to say that this class pushed me to go out of my comfort zone in many different ways. I could never really tell people stories about some of the crazy experiences I had, and I couldn’t relate to a lot of kids my age. The confidence I had after taking this class was exponential. I feel like I could talk to anyone even if I had never spoken to them before. I had so much fun doing interviews, reaching out to the student body through different social media platforms, and most importantly being the voice for ADM students.
Some of my favorite memories from class are collaborating with my peers to publish the best stories we could, earning a chance to win News Team of the Year, being a part of podcasts and all the celebrations and snacks we had together. I learned about and met so many people that I normally wouldn’t talk to. It’s crazy to think about how everyone you pass in the hallway has a story to tell. ADM has a lot of people who may be involved in different extra-curricular activities that are always willing to share their story, and I’ve been so happy to be their voice to write about it. The emotion and the passion we share through our stories is unmatched to any other essay you might write in your English class.
Not only have I been involved in and known about things going on here at ADM, but also about things going on in our community and in other communities around us. In our class, we always get the inside scoop to what’s going on around us that will impact the people and I find that so incredible. The different variety of stories is very diverse, you can write about almost anything that you can localize.
One thing I learned while being in this class is to always keep your head above the water. It might not seem like it to the naked eye, but everyone goes through struggles in life that you might not be aware of. No matter the circumstance, I’ve learned to always be hard-headed, be confident in myself, be passionate and to always challenge yourself even when it comes to the easiest tasks. It’s so easy to blend in to everyone else around you, especially in high school. But I encourage you to use your voice and be a leader, even if that means to challenge yourself. It’s the only path that leads to growth.
