The intercom dinged and sounded throughout the halls. For everyone at Jacobs Fork Middle School, it was a normal Monday, but for me I was eagerly waiting for the words about to come from Ms. Mofford’s mouth. I paid five dollars for a birthday wish to be read for my favorite news anchor, Norah O’Donnell. I started watching the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell when Covid hit, and I fell in love with journalism and reporting. I became obsessed with knowing all of the anchors and their beats. Over the course of the next four years, I did everything that I could to immerse myself more in the art and found that journalism helped me be the best person I can be. Journalism has helped me know myself, grow, and become the person I want to be. 

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The first aspect of journalism that changed my life was photography. Photography is my escape from things that cause anxiety for me. I started taking pictures in fourth grade on a summer trip to the Grand Canyon, but I didn’t understand how much photography affected my confidence until my first time at a high school football game. I was photographing the event and suddenly in the third quarter, a football player was headed my way - and fast. The only thing that kept me from getting hit was someone pulling me back because I was trying to get the shot. When I’m behind the camera, all fear melts away. I’ve done so many things that scared me, but because I had a camera in my hand, it felt doable. I took pictures of the March For Our Lives rally in front of the Washington Memorial, I took pictures at the wrestling state championship, and I went to prom as a 13-year-old because the high school needed someone to take pictures. While photography allows me to step out of my comfort zone and feel confident in myself, reporting makes me feel right at home.

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Reporting is a second nature thing for me, and it allows me to connect with those around me. Anyone can look at a picture or watch a video and decide what they think happened, but good reporting is what differentiates truly understanding one another. In a time where even the images we consume can’t be trusted because of A.I., human connection has never been more important. The isolation of social media has caused people to distrust the news, but true journalism can connect and educate its reader. Journalism has helped me to connect with those around me in my daily life. As a hostess at a sport’s restaurant, I meet a lot of people, and a lot of them just need someone to talk to. Because of all of the reporting I have done for journalism, I am able to ask questions that allow me to help people feel seen. Making people feel seen is a skill that I have had to develop a lot more stepping into a leadership role as editor in my senior year. 

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Being a leader has helped me to be patient and meet people where they are. As a senior with two years of being the yearbook editor, I have learned the right ways to motivate a staff. Showing irritation and expecting too much from one’s staff is only going to make them feel discouraged. If journalism is about connection, then you must take the time to really understand where someone is coming from and ask how you can help them reach their goal. While I still get frustrated during deadlines and sometimes tough love is what is required, the environment I have created is one that contrasts greatly to the environment I started with. The growth I have had as an editor is one that represents the growth I have had as a person as well.

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When someone asks me what I do in my freetime, my hobby, my passion, the only answer that ever stays the same is journalism. Yes, journalism is about news and sharing what is going on within one’s community and the world, but for me, journalism has helped shape me into who I am today. Journalism has helped me to find confidence even in the scariest of places, to connect with people when they need it most, and to be kindhearted and patient. For me, journalism is what continues to shape my story.