When I looked at my schedule on the first day of my senior year and saw that I was placed in Mainstream, I was very confused. I’m not going to lie – I would never have chosen to take this class on my own because I have never thought of myself as a good writer. I hated writing for my English classes, so the idea of being in an advanced journalism class and writing for the school newspaper seemed insane. During the first week, I tried to change my schedule and, when my counselor told me that I couldn’t switch out of the class, I thought it would be a bad semester. However, after being in this class all year, I am thankful that I accidently stumbled into journalism. I was pleasantly surprised by how relaxed the class is and how my writing improved. For the past couple of months, I have been writing opinion pieces about media, and I have loved it. I have found that it is easier for me to write when I’m interested in the topic. I remember when I gave Mr. Woodward my first piece; I was so scared because I thought that I was a terrible writer, but then he told me that he liked it. This boosted my confidence so much.

Not only did I write for the newspaper, but I also took pictures of the staff and different sports events. I really enjoyed taking pictures, and I’m glad that I was able to broaden my photography skills in this class. Even though I didn’t want to take journalism, I’m happy that I got to try something new in my senior year. I will definitely miss this class and the people that I met throughout the year in it.

College: Indiana University of Pennsylvania