By Gabryela Reynoso

May 10, 2022

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — It would be silly to say that a show affected which elective I chose for my junior year, but the comical truth was it very much did. 

At the start of quarantine I decided to start watching a cute TV series about a girl and her mother named “Gilmore Girls.” The show displayed their life and the daughter, Rory Gilmore, who aspired to be a journalist since she was little. From that point on I had looked up to the character because I guess I sort of saw a bit of myself in her and her other components that I desperately wished to be: intelligent, motivated, determined. My parents and teachers had always said that I had been a pretty decent writer and that, combined with my new fondness of the show made me want to explore Journalism more. 

Fast forward to the end of my sophomore year, it was time to pick my classes. I was extremely excited to have an elective this school year because I hadn’t had that opportunity in sophomore year. It would be nice to have a class of something I actually enjoyed taking part in. I scanned the list provided by the counselors: photography, dance, drama, they all seemed decently appealing till I glazed upon Journalism. Shortly after this interaction my English teacher, Ms. Newray, who is ironically my now Journalism teacher, posted an informational video on “Why you should choose Journalism as an elective,” to our google classroom and that was it. I was sold. I frantically went to infinite campus and chose the class, satisfied with my decision. I would finally get to live out this writer persona I had always envisioned. 

I’m currently in the last few weeks of this class and I can say without a doubt it was a phenomenal decision. Not only has this class been fun and entertaining, but it’s also a great place to meet new friends. One of them being my good friend Ashley who I would have never met outside of this class due to us being in different grades. One thing pretty special about this class is the lack of division by grade levels. This class has absolutely no cliques because in a way we are all kind of forced to work with one another to become this well-oiled machine that produces literature and other content for the school. Which I find pretty neat. Additionally, I have really enjoyed this independent learning style that we have going because it has taught me how to work according to deadlines and overall makes me feel more mature and capable. 

Journalism this year has taught me what real newspaper writing looks like and all the technicalities that come with producing news content. I’ve learned about words like slander vs libel, what a lede is, inverted pyramid, AP style writing, and so much more. If you’re interested in a class to learn how to work independently, progress in your writing and meet some cool people, you should consider Journalism. You too can be a part of what’s in store for the 2022-2023 Raider Review. Hope to see you next year!