If you know my name it may be because for the past four years at Liberty High School, I have been a part of our journalism program, which hosts the official student newspaper of the school “The Liberty Peak Press.” I have likely annoyed you and asked you for quotes at some point throughout your high school career, but what you may not have known is how much those moments meant to me.
On my first day of high school I walked into an empty room filled with one sole person. This person ended up being one of the greatest role models of my entire life. Cambrea Schrank, a new teacher to Liberty High School, informed me that I was the beginning of the rebrand for the school newspaper. For years prior, the school had functioned strictly off of the yearbook for any journalism themed topics.
From then on, I was dedicated to making the most successful newspaper possible, and by my senior year I took the title of Editor in Chief. The road has not been smooth as we have had to rebrand the website three times since its birth, however it has seemed to have reached its final form within my final year, which has led me to have one of the greatest senses of pride I have ever experienced.
You may see this story as a calling to join a class in high school, but my intended message is much more than that. Journalism has taught me not only to branch out and talk to more people, but it has taught me to experience life more than I ever thought possible.
Life is short, and so are the experiences you have along the way, but the memories and lessons learned along the way last forever. I have been lucky enough that this class has given me these necessary skills to branch out and experience life. I have connected with a branch of every side of our school and met so many different people.
The stories I have learned and the messages they carry resonate with me every day. Every student and faculty member I have interviewed has left a lasting impression on my life, leaving me with so many pleasurable memories to carry into my future.
My work for the Liberty Peak Press has been intense. I have put in many late-night hours ensuring that articles are on time, I have been after my peers to make sure they turn things in on time and I have made my fair share of mistakes. However, I wouldn’t give up my hard work for the world.
This hard work has given me visual evidence of my successes in high school and even won me and my friends some awards along the way. I will miss my time with the school newspaper, but if a student out there is willing to carry the torch, then I know it will continue to thrive.
You don’t have to join journalism to find this meaning in life (however I would suggest it), but I encourage every student out there to branch out to as many people as possible. Do not settle into your limited scope on the world, instead encourage yourself to learn and see the world from every perspective. Every person has a story to tell; it is your job to get that story across.
This is Rowan Sosovec, Editor in Chief for the Liberty Peak Press, signing out.
