Going into LASA, I wanted to become an engineer. Newspaper was never in the cards. I liked to build things, create something that other people would enjoy, but then, Sci-Tech happened. Throughout my first semester of freshman year, I learned that I despised what real engineering was. The math, the restrictions, and the long, arduous work. These parts of Sci-Tech would teach me one big thing, that I didn’t ever want to be an engineer.
The next semester, in Ezine, I found my love of journalism. Reaching out to people, asking questions, and discovering new information straight from the professionals. I would learn how to use Adobe, put together a magazine, and so many more skills that helped me realize the love that I hold for this type of creation.
Even though I loved Ezine, I didn’t initially put newspaper on my choice sheet since I was not sure if I would even like the class. But, throughout the summer, I kept thinking about my decision. I knew I loved Ezine, specifically talking to people and writing stories, and the class that I had as my number one choice (yearbook) did not have these elements. So, 3 weeks before school started, I decided to email my counselor and change my class choice.
Even though it was so late in the summer, my counselor was able to change my one elective slot to newspaper (thank you Ms.Park). This change would be the best decision that I have ever made.
One of the first stories that I wrote for the LASA Liberator was about pickleball, a topic I knew practically nothing about. At that point, I had only played it once with my cousins. But, to write this story, I would have reach out to coaches and people that have played pickleball before in order to discover more about the sport. This would teach me so much, not just about pickleball, but also about how to reach out to people professionals on a topic you know almost nothing about and ask the most important questions.
I enjoyed newspaper that year so much that I would come back the next year, and then the year after that. Not as a staffer, though, but as one of the entertainment editors. In these next two years, I would be able to experience much more than just writing stories. I was able to go to South By Southwest twice in a row and ACL once for the newspaper, with some of my most interesting interviews happening at these events. For example at ACL, me and my partner would get the opportunity to talk to some of the sound engineers before the festival, even going backstage at two of the stages to be shown how they do their job. At SXSW, I was able to talk to multiple bands performing, meeting with some of them outside of their performance schedules.
Now, coming out of LASA, I know that I do not want to be an engineer. There are entirely different careers that interest me, something I would not have realized if it wasn’t for me changing my choice sheet last minute right before sophomore year. This last-minute decision allowed me to have some of the most impactful experiences that I have had throughout high school. If I didn’t go, reach out to my counselor even though it was so late, I would not have even tried to join the newspaper and have these experiences that truly defined who I am and want to be.
