Personal Narrative
It wasn’t until my Freshman year that the concept of journalism entered my mind. Looking back, I don’t know how I didn’t connect the dots. I squirreled away every issue distributed by Callia Peterson that year and the years following.
After submitting an essay for my honors English class, my teacher pulled me aside. I thought I was in trouble or that I had failed my midterm, I had no idea where the conversation would go. Mrs.Orloff told me that I would make a good journalist, and that my writing sounded like an op-ed (which I had to look up after our conversation). I listened to her advice and put Journalism I and Journalism II on my schedule for the following year.
Enrolling in journalism was really a “before-and-after” event that catapulted me into a new world of meaning and purpose. Finally, I felt like I was using my skills and interests for something that would have an impact, getting more out of a class than just a letter-grade and originality report.
After our spring supplement in Journalism II, I was totally set on being on staff for Arlingtonian the following year, and after my first week on staff, I knew I had found my future; pursuing journalism was no longer a question. Journalism is first place where everything has come together. All that I valued and all the skills I possessed could be poured and dedicated to something that I loved. I finally feel like I’m where I belong, and I no longer find myself scavenging for places to invest my energy and abilities.
Telling personal stories is my way of connecting with others, showing them I understand and that they are not alone. To search, find, and articulate the stories of others will always be my way of finding beauty in what may seem broken and damaged. I will forever be indebted to the support and genuine investment my teachers have given me. Journalism has served as a connection between learning and my academic drive with my leadership skills and love for working with others, while still challenging me and fueling my competitiveness.
When applications for editor positions opened up last year, being Editor In Chief had already been on my mind. I knew I had the the experience and the drive to take on the role and lead the future of our journalism program. But still, I was also terrified that I wouldn’t fulfill the high expectations the community had for Arlingtonian.
I remember coming home from school during the first weeks of our second issue, prepared to give the run-down of my day to my dad as I played with the dog. For some reason, when he asked me about my day this time, the words started spilling out of me and onto the kitchen table.
“I just can’t believe I get to do this EVERYDAY. Like really, I just can’t wait for whatever questions they are going to ask me or problems I’ll figure out.”
Helping others has always filled my cup, and leading groups, even without a goal in sight, has energized me my entire life. I am forever grateful for the investment my teachers and mentors have in me, and I am forever harnessed with the power (and lens) they have given me to see things in others that they may have never seen.
I haven’t gotten used to the adrenaline and awe that I experience everyday from Arlingtonian, but I sometimes forget that at this age, it’s uncommon. This fall, I was walking into school and started to sign in with the entryway monitor since I was late (it was Monday). At the time, I didn’t know his name, but Mr.McMillian would be the first moment I had that told me I was doing something right. Sometimes he would strike up a conversation about the weather or shake his head after the third straight day of my brother and I scurrying in the doors.
“Are you Editor In Chief of Arlingtonian?”
I stopped and turned around, someone that I didn’t know personally, knew me from this. We chatted about journalism and post-graduation plans. I walked to first period with a warm feeling of pride. Mr.McMillian told me he liked reading what we wrote because it gave him a look into the lives of students he sees everyday.
As much as my involvement in journalism, has been personally transformative, I never really feel like it’s about me. For me, it’s always been about “them,” the staff, the student body, the community as a whole; it is a privilege to serve others as Editor In Chief.
Anytime I get overwhelmed or feel in over my head, I remind myself of the little things that make each late-night worth it. Things like when my grandparents text me about their friends reading issues and passing them around the neighborhood, seeing a copy left on a table at Littleton’s Market and even just knowing that somewhere, there is a future journalist hoarding a stack in their room; they all stoke the fire inside me.
There is truly not enough batteries for twinkle-lights or playlists on Spotify to outlast my zest for knowledge and love for journalism. It can be a challenge sometimes to balance other classes or activities when I become so absorbed in the successes and obstacles that I face as Editor In Chief each day. My “honeymoon phase” with journalism continues, because I swear that the excitement and rush of brainstorms and print week never gets old.
I can’t imagine where I would be had I taken a different ELA class freshman year or took another science or history class instead of joining Arlingtonian. I feel so lucky to have been exposed to journalism in a manner that has fueled my future.
At first, it felt like what I imagine it’s like to buy a new living space. I had been handed the keys, and after my initial steps through the threshold, I realized it was up to me to turn it into a home. I started to stress, a lot, about what the school year would look like, and how I could do everything that I felt was expected of me. Even though it wasn’t a true blank slate, I felt like I had to start everything over.
Despite being intensely devoted to this new part of my life, it wasn’t the easiest transition. What I thought I loved no longer brought me as much joy, and continuing my regular core classes felt uninspiring. It was hard to put things I had known for so long onto the back-burners and shift my focus into an unfamiliar but exciting new chapter.
I have fully embraced this newfound love, and if you ask anyone – including my screen time – I literally eat, sleep and breathe Arlingtonian. I wake up thinking about what stories to tell and everything I can do to improve the newsmagazine that day, and at night I jot down my ideas for the next day or add new features to our website with the light from my laptop filling the darkness.
My experience as Editor In Chief, even in the short time that it has been, has inspired and motivated me to find and do more. Now that I have found a place where my skills and interests align, I am beyond eager to continue to explore where journalism can take me and how it is evolving with social media and through generations. I am driven by my initiative and passion for journalism and leadership.