My time at Walter Johnson has taught me a lot and I’ve changed inside and out since the day I first walked through the doors freshman year. I expected high school to be terrifying. Going to classes with people years older than me, working with strangers, and most importantly having to grow my friend group and relationship with others under the conditions we were placed in, it all seemed too scary. These past few years definitely looked different from the typical high school experience and put a large bump in the road for all of us as we had to learn to work a little harder to find our place in this community. But thankfully activities outside of education helped me feel more comfortable in a place I thought I could never feel comfortable in.
I’ve always loved writing, specifically feeling the escape of the words and writing for hours. My 9th grade English teacher at the end of the year recommended I take Journalism as a sophomore to progress my skills in writing and share my opinion on the school newspaper. I was quickly against this idea as I hardly knew anyone on The Pitch and with school being so different, didn’t know much about The Pitch myself. However, when it came to making my junior year class schedule the following year, I was quick to select Journalism. I joined the class not knowing my friends were doing it as well. I took the leap because I wanted to grow as a writer and knew there was so much I could learn. The Pitch allowed me not only to become a stronger writer and share the thoughts of all of WJ, but also become closer with peers I would normally not have any affiliation with. Every day I am excited to go to Pitch because every day it brings something new that I know I will remember for a lifetime.
My advice is to be positive and never stop looking to the future. Life throws so many annoying challenges that sometimes you really don’t want to face, but remembering to stay calm and knowing there are brighter days in the future can make any day 10 times better. Never forget friends and peers are going through challenges along with you and you’re never alone. My friend group today is seven of the most supportive girls I could ever know, and I can trust they will always have my side whenever. These past four years have gone quicker than I ever imagined, so immerse yourself as much as you can with your peers and try to make the most of every day because eventually high school is just a memory, so it’s important to know you truly lived it.
