I love writing. I love the sound of graphite scratching on paper.  I love the plinks of fingers tapping the keyboard. I love expressing myself.

Journalism is a different kind of writing, though. No longer am I able to simply write my thoughts down as I pleased. If I wanted to put my opinion in a story, I learned that it must be strategic, because journalism is not all about me. Journalism is about others’ stories, and how they came to be.

The first couple of weeks in my journalism class felt like hell. When I figured out that we weren’t allowed to use 1st person in our articles, I considered getting out of the class. I couldn’t stand the thought of not using 1st person! How was I supposed to write an article about an event or person and NOT put my views in the story?

As time went by, I eventually began to conform to journalistic style. I started understanding that though I wasn't able to put my opinion point-blank in an article, I could do it in a more subtle way. I could choose which quotes to use to decide exactly what I wanted to tell readers. I thought that was quite clever, actually.

Not only was I enjoying the writing part of Journalism, I appreciated the photography aspect of it as well. Photography has always been a main priority in my life, so I was glad to find out that taking photos and writing articles went hand-in-hand. Journalism gave me more opportunities to practice my picture-taking abilities. Not only was I supposed to get an interesting shot, I was also supposed to tell a story through the picture. The story that I wrote.

This school year has come and gone far too fast. The last time I blinked my eyes, we were barely learning how to write editorials. And now? We’re writing our last blogs for the school year. I look back over the past months, and I truly realize how much I’ve learned about Journalism. It’s not a simple concept; there are many angles and perspectives on this subject.

Journalism is time spent taking pictures, scrambling to the computer to make last minute changes, laughing with fellow journalists in the classroom, snatching candy from Mrs. Scott’s desk, and most of all, smiling after completing a work of art. Journalism is something that molded my life; it sticks onto me even after I've finished the class and left BHS.