The day is here! 

The day in which I get to end the debate of “What score does it deserve?” 

The day when I get to stop looking around my Journalism class, half asleep and wishing that I was in my bed, wondering why Mr. Livingston has so much energy at 8:30. Surely he has consumed more caffeine in one morning than I have all week. 

The day when I close a Google Doc, not to continue doing homework that I don’t want to do, but to see adulthood in the eyes and jump head-first, hoping that I don’t break my neck. 

I joined Journalism in the last semester of my freshman year, when Mr. Lancaster was the person teaching the subject. When it was time to choose my classes for my sophomore year, I saw Journalism and said, why not? I emailed my counselor and asked, “Can I just take it for one semester to get that requirement out of the way?” to which she replied, “No, because a new teacher is taking over the class.” 

I thought about it for five minutes and said it can’t be that bad. 

I won’t write. Everything will be fine. 

Spoiler alert! I had to write, and I was absolutely terrified. 

As time went by I realized that I wasn’t that bad at writing. I discovered a new passion for writing and realized that being a music addict wasn’t a bad thing. Journalism gave me the opportunity to meet new people. I rekindled a friendship that I thought that I was never going to be able to redeem. I listened to music all day and said that it was for homework purposes. And it helped me realize that mornings are not all that bad. 

I want to share some wisdom with the ones that will carry this class forward. The first piece of advice would be, do it. If you want to write something, but you are hesitant, do it! Somebody will read it. Somebody will discover something new. And if nobody does, at least you wrote what you wanted. 

My second piece of advice would be to branch out. I know that I mostly wrote reviews, and even though I did a couple of Spotlight articles, my thing is music reviews. So please take this advice from me and write on a variety of topics. Don’t be afraid to write something different. Explore. Find what you are most comfortable with and passionate about. And every once in a while, spice it up. 

My third and final piece of advice would be don’t be too hard on yourself. You are your own worst critic, and while it can be helpful to self-evaluate, it can also take a toll on your self-esteem. Be kind to yourself and others, and practice makes perfect. 

Before I say farewell, I’d like to thank Mr. Livingston, for being one of the most comprehensive teachers that I’ve ever had. He understood my need for a mental break. He allowed me to keep writing when I went into independent study. He understood when I turned in assignments late and never made me feel bad about it. And he always checked up on me. I guess I am trying to convince you, reader, to join Journalism. Is it working? (I hope so.) 

The journalism community is very wholesome, or at least the one that I was part of. Everyone clapped for your successes and was interested in whatever you had to say at 8:30 in the morning. There was always something said that made you laugh or that made your heart hurt. Either way, there were no dull moments in the class. 

This is a bittersweet article, as this is the last time that I’m going to willingly type from three-to-four pages of words without complaining. I won’t step foot into GHS every morning or wave enthusiastically at people. I won’t see the same faces, at the same place, at the same time every day. 

This is it. There are not enough words that can describe how thankful I am for all of this: the program that became such an intricate part of me, the people that I got to meet, and the opportunities that I received. I’ve found a passion that I will never let go of.

I guess the only thing left to do is to quote Mr. Livingston and say, “Have courage and be kind. I’m out!”