Apart from journalism, I also captain both my high school and club soccer teams. I am a part of National Honors Society, Government Club, and Student Advisory Council at Downers Grove North, and I serve as the Student Representative for the District 99 Board of Education. I will attend Northwestern University in the fall and I plan to double-major in political science and journalism.

 

What I've been able to learn from my experiences in journalism is just how many stories there are out there that need to be told. Success may come in the form of victory in athletics or a good grade in academics, but for journalism, success is finding a way to spread the truth in a professional and ethical manner as well as give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.

 

High school journalism has allowed me to evolve into a critical thinker who enjoys the pursuit of truth and knowledge. I've had the privilege of interviewing and hearing the stories of so many who feel underrepresented, suppressed, or silenced and have been able to shed light on and learn from their stories.

 

The Omega, especially the fantastic staff and advisers I have by my side, has paved the way for me to work on and begin to master the fundamentals and the ethics of journalism. 

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When I began, I was a young and immature member of the Omega, eager to learn about journalism and make a good-looking print issue. What I did not know was that my experiences would lead me down a path of understanding more valuable truths about journalism, expression, and justice as a whole.

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Throughout my sophomore year, I was rather closed-minded about the bigger picture of journalism, focusing more on cramming information and appealing design into our print issue. Taking on a leadership role last year helped me look up and notice the world of journalism all around me—with its positives and negatives. 

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This year, I feel like I have expanded on my understanding of journalism through the writing of more controversial and hard-hitting stories. Those stories are the ones that give me a sense of fulfillment because I feel I am providing clarity and truth to the public and a voice to those who would otherwise not be able to tell their stories. The world today is plagued by hate, fear, manipulation, and lies, and I feel that journalism works to combat that with integrity, justice, truth, and candor.

 

In the feature piece that I published last semester about minority student and teacher experiences with discrimination, my mind was opened. I heard the stories of many students and teachers who had been discriminated against, and not only did I give them a voice and a platform to voice the injustices they face, but I also, just for a split second, got to be in their shoes and understand what they go through every day. Being able to express those feelings and those experiences to an audience is a blessing because it takes us all one step closer to understanding one another better.

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In writing this reflection, I am realizing that there is still so much to learn. My contributions thus far have been fine, but I am motivated to use the rest of my high school and hopefully college career to grow more as a journalist and a person.

 

The past two years as editor-in-chief have also helped me become more involved in the aspects of journalism that aren't writing. I started to become heavily involved in design, promotion, web content, and multimedia for our publication in order to provide meaningful and interesting news to the public in several different ways. I have picked up new skills related to website creation, social media promotions, virtual interviewing methods, and more. I think that those are the ones most critical to keep improving on because they represent the new age in journalism. 

 

In the past several years, the ways of conveying information journalistically have changed: no longer is the only way to tell the truth through writing. We have been able to utilize social media for promotion and multimedia to be able to provide truth to our audience in an easily accessible manner. This year, more than ever, our staff needed to utilize social media to promote our website because we had no print issue. That shift, to me, represented the greater idea that journalists have to be adaptive; constantly ready to figure out new ways to work efficiently and write well for the audience's consumption.

 

All and all, the best way I've been able to learn is by listening to those who know more. A particularly enlightening moment for me was interviewing legendary students' rights activist Mary Beth Tinker. Her words of encouragement and motivation included never hesitating in pursuit of the truth, never settling for a "decent" story, and always seeking out and working to overcome suppressions of the free press.

 

Tinker's words made me realize that, again, this is more than just a class. It's a window into the real world: a hands-on, real-life learning experience. This is an opportunity to give a voice to those who can't be heard and to convey the truth in a controversy-filled world. Through journalism, we become better people, focused less on personal gain and more on the benefit of the community and the people as a whole. And that is priceless.