I’m not going to sit here and lie to you; I didn’t have journalism as my first pick. My counselor had called me saying I need to choose Art One or Journalism. That was it just on the spot, I was told I needed to make a choice. She let me call her back that day and I told her, “I’ll do Journalism.” and that’s why I’m in this class. Now, that was the thought process I did trying to decide which elective to take. 

First I had to think about what would go on in each class. I have a history with art and to me, it was something close to me and I did it to express myself and enjoy the art. I never had that type of personal connection with Journalism or what it consisted of. I knew I didn’t want to do something I loved and be graded for it. I thought I could expand as a person and do something I haven’t before. 

Personally, I can see where I have grown and learned in this class. At first, I felt really pressured and  like I had to put out super amazing articles, but then I realized that it’s meant to be a learning experience. I’m supposed to mess up and learn from it. I have felt more comfortable using this as another outlet to help inform others. I remember one article I had done where I talked about mental health, and that’s a topic really close to home for me. It feels good to be a part of the bigger picture. 

Being in this class has taught me to express myself by sharing my voice and being open with others. It’s crazy how we all get something different from this one class. This class has made me more comfortable with writing about topics I find interesting, and I think everyone should have that push of encouragement. Another very positive thing I got out of this class that others might want is feeling heard. With the articles you can come up with, you’re not turned down or looked at in a weird way. In this class you are able to use your voice and opinion on things. I can say that I’m very glad I chose Journalism.