My journalistic experience has given me more knowledge than any other class I have taken before. Journalism was the class that I had wanted to take, but was unsure about whether it was a class I could fit into. My writing skills were pretty shabby, and I had no idea how to write an article. I had always read the paper, so I knew a little about what an article consisted of, but that was pretty much it.
Walking into the first day of journalism class was intimidating. I didn't know what to expect, since I had heard both sides of the story. There were some people that loved it and others who hated it. I didn't understand what I was really getting myself into until I began writing my first article.

Once I had picked what I wanted to write about, I was in shock. I didn't even know how to start. The first day the other side of the classroom was opened to us, I just sat at a computer and thought to myself, now what? Isn't anything going to be explained? Well, apparently not, because there wasn't really anything to explain. So I just did my best to finish. After I finished writing my article, I happily gave it to my editor. I was so proud. It was then that I realized what journalism is all about.

Writing the article is one thing, but interviewing people is another aspect to the world of journalism. My editor just laughed at me and said, "you're going to need quotes for this article."

I was so nervous, I didn't want to go and talk to anybody. Forget the talking; I didn't even know what to ask them.

My journalism experiences have gotten better. Although I still get nervous interviewing people, I no longer get stuck with what to ask them. The questions just come to me as I try to have a conversation with that person. I have interviewed a wide range of teachers and faculty, and it feels great when they come up to you and say, "I saw your article. You did a great job."

Journalism has also given me something to look forward to after high school. Before entering journalism, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in for college. I have realized that I have a passion for writing, and without this class, I would have never realized it.

I wish I could say that I have become an amazing writer, but I can't. What I can say is I have learned a lot and progressed from my previous articles. It no longer takes me three weeks to write an article, and it doesn't take as many edits to revise my article until Ms. B can write "Type Five" with her smiley face.

Overall, I have enjoyed my experience as a journalist, and I can't wait to continue through senior year. Hopefully, after another semester of journalism, I can say that I am an amazing writer.