Testimonial

When I ask myself why I am so passionate for the art of journalism, I think of the expression, “the pen is mightier than the sword,” which encapsulates perhaps the most powerful piece of journalism: hearing and sharing the stories of others. Interviews take me through a looking-glass into the lives, thoughts, and the nature of human beings. I have spoken to remarkable people with remarkable stories, people I would otherwise have passed on the street, without a second thought. To find these stories deep down inside of people’s minds and hearts is thrilling, and I consider it a privilege to share them in my own words. In the first edition of this year’s paper, I wrote an article about a foreign exchange student’s experience in America. She showed me that she sent my article to her family and friends in Italy. Reading the notes about my story from people on the other side of the world showed me that my words in this medium can create stories that can touch the hearts and minds of people well outside of my small world.

 

Aside from writing, journalism has offered me a creative outlet in design. Never would I have thought I would find my niche in design, as I never saw myself as an artist, but from the first page I created I instantly knew this was a place where I could unleash my creativity that was bottled up deep down inside of me. My junior year, our publication received a not so shining ranking through MIPA, chiefly due to our newspaper’s design. Although a let down, instead of sulking, I took the disappointment and ran with it. I vowed to myself that this would not happen again and was motivated to completely redesign our newspaper, from front to back cover. I am so proud of what I created and it truly showed me the power of resilience.

 

North Pointe has given me a place of belonging throughout high school. The newsroom is my second home, due to both the people in that room and what we do there. When I graduate, I will leave North Pointe behind, but I hope I can find my place writing and designing for another newspaper in college. I plan on majoring in journalism and hope that I will write for a newspaper after college, because I truly cannot imagine a life without being part of a publication. The dream that little me had of becoming a writer was not so far off after all.