There are many things that I have learned in my time as a high school student journalist. I have learned what is right, what is wrong, and what may be fuzzy. I have learned of court cases and student Codes and of ways to draw readers into your articles. Most of all, I have learned of people. Being the editor of this news team has been challenging, for sure. I have definitely spent a lot of days frustrated, but I have also been impressed and touched and moved. This class is entirely composed of seniors this year, and while some of the members are friends I’ve had for years, a majority are people I have grown up with but never gotten to know very well.

There are athletes, authors, musicians, gamers… a whole spectrum of people make up our news team. Getting the chance to be their editor has taught me the true challenge in working with a wide variety of people. I have an increased respect for teachers and what they must do every day to assure that their entire student body is learning, succeeding and enjoying themselves. It sure isn’t easy.

I’ve only been exposed to student journalism for two years now, but even those two years have shown me a part of myself I hadn’t yet unearthed before. I am extremely curious. I want to know what happened, but more importantly, I want to know why. This motivation to discover has driven me into the field of Environmental Science and Natural Journalism. The world around me is constantly changing, I want to understand this. But just as well as it has been changing, it has stayed the same for millennia. There are parts of our world that have always been one way and will possibly stay that way forever. Shouldn’t we want to know why?

The natural curiosity of journalism has brought out my own and I am thankful for that. I am also thankful for the leadership position I have been granted and for the students who I have led for these past nine months. I am grateful.