Freshman year, entering WordsWorth, I was skeptical about signing up for journalism. I had never written a news article. To be completely honest, the only time I ever watched the news was as background during family dinners.

I was timid while working on articles. I did not know how to write a lede. I did not know how to find appropriate quotes. I did not know the rule of thirds.

But, I was excited to enter the class everyday because of the people. As a new student, I did not know many other people yet. However, when working on articles with my classmates I not only began to better understand journalism, but I also met some of my closest friends.

Sophomore year, I returned to staff as Copy Editor. I was more confident in my writing skills, and specifically, my grammar. I even made presentations to teach the other staff members how to follow AP Style rules when writing.

As the sole Copy Editor, I had to read and edit every single staff member’s articles. Providing them with feedback forced me to talk to people I had never met before. This role in WordsWorth helped me to become friends with more staff members.

Junior year, I assumed a larger role as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the blog. As someone who avoids learning about computers and technology at all costs, I was not confident in my ability to take on this position. I had to learn how to navigate WordPress. I taught myself how to embed tweets and Vimeo links. After many failed attempts, I mastered using Photoshop to resize images.

In this role I grew closer to the other EICs. Also, while reporting and writing articles I continued to form my friendships with other staff members.

Senior year, I reached the pinnacle of high school journalism: Editor-in-Chief. But unlike most high school journalists, I reached this milestone with one of my closest friends. As co-EICs, we were able to bond over so much more than typical high school drama.

We had to face challenges when scrambling to make print deadlines and edit airband videos, but we always managed to get everything done.

Journalism is difficult. Unlike most electives, the majority of work is expected to be completed outside of class. Balancing my time to keep up with editing articles was not always easy. I often copy edited pieces while on my drive home from school.

My sophomore year, the internet crashed, forcing me to copy edit hand-written breaking news while leaning against a locker in between classes. My junior year, as a newly positioned EIC, I had to figure out how to cover a brand new MFS event: June Week. My senior year, during Spirit Week — WordsWorth’s busiest week of the year — I suffered a concussion (not journalism related).

But, through it all, the other staff members were always there to support me as both peers and friends.