Coming out of middle school, I had two main choices on where to go to high school, Garland or North. I am glad I chose North because of the amazing four-year journey it has taken me on. During my past four years, I haven’t been the most school active person nor most dedicated toward my grades. I am barely in the top 25 percent and have done only a handful of contributions toward my school.
My friends aren’t like most friends, but I am grateful for them. They aren’t really the ones I could go talk to if I am having personal problems. They are the friends I go to when I need a good laugh from all the stupid things we have done, from tricking a friend that he won the lottery with a fake scratch off to the time we almost got kicked out of Walmart. We are sometimes mean to each other, but that’s all part of the fun. Aside from the dumb things we do, they are reliable for when I just want to chill after being stressed from school or work.
Originally, I wasn’t going to apply to be a photographer for the Raider Echo since I had no previous photography experience. On the last day applications were due Smallwood asked for them, and I thought, “Let me just apply and see what happens.” A few weeks later I got a letter during my World History class letting me know I had been accepted. Had Smallwood not asked for the applications that last day, I honestly don’t know how my last two years of high school would have been.
Heading toward my first year on staff I wasn’t sure what to expect. I worked hard and learned about photography, even if it didn’t make sense at first. I even used all of my income tax return to buy a Canon camera. I treated it as a second job, but at the same time I felt like a part of something great. Seeing my name in the newspaper and getting to know such an awesome staff was very rewarding.
Fast forward a year later, I am now the photo editor. This past year I discovered my true high school home, the JLab. I wasn’t in any other clubs. Newspaper has been the only thing I really cared about. I put a lot of dedication to it, because it is what I love. I feel so comfortable in my newspaper class, knowing I can talk to anyone of my fellow staffers. Sometimes my staff may think I am mean to them, but I really care for them, even if I may not show it. The JLab itself is my second home. I can go there to print out my homework, take a nap, play board games, even Yu-Gi-Oh, or just talk to someone. Smallwood has been a great mentor toward me and an easy person to talk to. She is more than just a teacher.
I have done great things as being a part of the staff. I have covered college basketball, heard a speech from news broadcast journalist, learned from professional photographers and met the new superintendent. All these good things come from my sacrifices to newspaper. I stayed at school close to midnight finishing our first issue, became frustrated when many people needed my help at once, got a small paycheck from work because of the days I asked off and even raised my voice at my fellow staffers. All these problems were definitely worth it. If I could do it all again, all of those sacrifices, I would do it in a heartbeat.
As of what the future holds for me, I am unsure of what I want to be. I do know that I want to be successful. Others have different definitions of success, being rich, changing the world for the better, having a family, or having a job you love. I define success as being happy and financially set, owning a house and not worrying about the bills I have to pay. I am happy with my high school years. I met great new people, passed my AP classes, balanced school and work, became a good photographer and contributed a bit to my school. Overall, I think I have been pretty success these past four years. I believe this successful will continue to follow me for the rest of my life.