Throwback Thursday: That time I won a medal

I’m not a big Throwback Thursday person, but I recently stumbled upon some old photos that left me with an inkling of nostalgia: photos from that time I won a medal.

During my high school years, I was heavily involved in the student newspaper, the Lake Park Perspective. It all began with an elective journalism course my sophomore year that got me writing articles for the paper. That momentum led me to become the News Editor my senior year. We had many late nights and countless memories in that editing room I’ll never forget.

But the real highlight of my journalistic experiences was the opportunity to attend the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) journalism competition. After our newspaper staff competed in regionals, two of us qualified for state: our Arts & Entertainment Editor, who competed in layout design; and our News Editor, me, who competed in Review Writing.

You see, I found great pleasure in writing for the A&E section. After countless hours editing news articles, it was my personal release to write a review on a new rock album or the latest horror flick. I felt confident enough in review writing to enter the regional and state competitions for the fun competitiveness of it–but I never really expected anything to come of it. I’ll never forget how dumbfounded I was when my named boomed over a loudspeaker in an auditorium of hundreds of student journalists from 21 different high schools.

It’s surreal to look back and see how far I’ve come since then. Those experiences led me to where I am today: a graduate of the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication, working full time in public relations and marketing. While I’m no longer technically a “journalist,” I’ll always love to write. My roots in journalism have helped me become the professional I am today.