When I first walked through the doors of the high school, I would never have guessed I would have the journey I have had; the people I would meet, the experiences that would shape my life, all within one moderately sized building.
At the beginning of my freshman year, I was a loner, dare I say a nobody. I had very few real friends, and I was not active in anything. I participated in the set crew for “Mamma Mia!” during the fall semester, and I was invited to join the newspaper staff. While I did not join the staff during my second semester of freshman year, I was encouraged to audition for the spring play that year. After obtaining a role and performing, I realized that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my time in high school.
My sophomore year, I finally joined the newspaper staff as a reporter. I felt like an outsider and did not really connect with anybody in the class, though I continued to do theater and managed to obtain my first good role as Danforth in “The Crucible”.
My junior year, I was promoted to be a crew editor, a role where I was able to showcase my journalistic abilities, and I really began to grow my rhetorical and English skills, more so than my actual English class had ever done. I also obtained my first lead role as Moldyvort in “Wizards and Wands” and won my one and only Thespis award.
This year, I continued my position as a crew editor, with a total of seven regional competition wins during my time in newspaper, along with four state wins: third place news writing, sixth place news writing, fourth place student life photography and state champion in yearbook sports writing. I also obtained a Jester nomination for best supporting role as King Sextimus in “Once Upon a Mattress”, though I did not win.
Despite my achievements in both the journalism and theater departments, I do not plan to pursue or continue to do either one. I plan to obtain a PhD in psychology and get certified as a forensic psychologist. Despite not pursuing journalism or the theatrical arts, both programs shaped me into who I am today, and I credit the newspaper for my success in high school, finishing my senior year with a 4.0 GPA in both semesters.
