Commentary: End of year wrap-up

Life is a series of steps, from one responsibility to another, from one friend to another. Senior Matthew Sue says it is a series of trades and moves. In all these steps there are almost always good things and bad things.

Often times with more freedom there comes more work, or as it has been said, “to whom much has been given much is expected.” Often times there are steps that are bigger and more important than others and these are often the ones that define us the most.

High school is a major life step; it is often thought of as the precursor to adult life and the final step toward college. I have been blessed to attend Fresno Christian for this step and it has been a great part of my life.

I have attended Fresno Christian Schools since elementary. Going to school here has been a great experience for me. I have developed a great community of friends that have made this experience even better.

Since I have gone to Fresno Christian part time since I transferred mid-year in the third grade, I do not have a lot of experience elsewhere to compare to this school. Even so, I would say that this school has been a great experience.

I have had so many good teachers throughout the years, people who cared about me and poured into my life; for this, I am particularly grateful. I am also grateful for all the knowledge that I have gained through the classes I have taken.

Besides the various lessons that I have learned in The Feather, I have also had some awesome experiences from my time on the team. I have gotten to communicate with some pretty cool people and got to get involved with some interesting events. — Senior Matthew Sue

One example of this would be when I was in AP European history with teacher Kori Friesen. I was not a very skilled writer then and I was having difficulty with my DBQs. I recall that she would work with me one on one to improve my writing skills. It paid off and I ended up with a four on the AP Euro test.

Another instance of this would be before the AP biology test. I recall when Dr. Karen Walters made breakfast for my class and me, so that we would do better on the test. This was really thoughtful of her, especially since she had to get up early to make it.

While others have helped me, I have also had the opportunity to serve others. An example of this would be my involvement in the Brother to Brother program. I have had the opportunity to mentor junior high students through this program which pairs a high school and junior high school student up for mentor ship.

Throughout my years at Fresno Christian, I have been blessed to take part in a variety of programs. Chief amongst these would be my involvement The Feather Online. I have learned so much from this program and it has helped me to grow a lot as a person.

Being an introvert, it was really stressful for to interview people at the start of my time in The Feather. I remember the first article that I was assigned; it was a promo article on the girls tennis team. I recall being quite nervous as I walked over to the tennis courts and asked for the coach. Thankfully the coach was very kind and understood my nervousness. This was only the first of many interviews, which have helped me to grow not only as a journalist but also as a person.

Another thing that being in The Feather has helped me with would be my writing skills. My writing skills have been honed through the articles I have written. My peers would edit them, giving me feedback on what needed to improve and what needed to be added. This feedback helped me to improve my writing skills drastically.

Along with writing and interviewing skills, The Feather has also helped me to learn about being a part of a team. I  learned about this when I worked with several people to publish one article, especially in larger ones. One item in particular that has stood out to me would be the importance of sharing work, a project is so much more manageable when the work is divided.

Besides the various lessons that I have learned in The Feather, I have also had some awesome experiences from my time on the team. I have gotten to communicate with some pretty cool people and got to get involved with some interesting events. 

A prime example of this would be when I wrote an article on Lisa Genova, when she lectured at San Joaquin Valley Town Hall. I finished the article and we tweeted it out on Twitter. She retweeted the article and it was really cool to get that type of recognition.

One of my most memorable experiences would be when I interviewed former astronaut, Captain Scott Kelly at SJV Town Hall. It was an awesome experience because I was able to get a private interview with him backstage of the Saroyan Theatre. In addition to this, I also got to watch professional reporters interview him; it was such a cool experience to work alongside them.

My second most memorable experience would be when I got to interview Christian rapper, Andy Mineo at The Movement, which a youth movement at Peoples Church in 2016. I got to interview him one on one and it was a pretty cool to get the “back stage” experience.

Another interesting experience I had was when I worked as a volunteer press escort for Fresno CityFest. It was interesting to see the inner workings of such an event and being part of it was really fun. I got to volunteer along with other Feather people and it was nice to get to know my peers better.

In addition to the memorable experiences that I have had on the paper, I have also developed friendships with my peers. I have gotten to know many people that I would likely not have hung out with otherwise through this class. Working together with these people has been one of the highlights of my time in The Feather Online.

This writer can be reached via twitter @MatthewSue1

Matthew Sue plans to attend Fresno Pacific University in the fall with the intention of majoring in history. Sue hopes to earn a doctorate in history and teach it at the college level.

For another senior commentary/reflections, read Senior Reflection: Mariana Fikse and/or Senior Reflection – Juliana Lozano  or Senior Reflection: Cayla Rivas. Readers might also enjoy Robert Foshee: Longtime multiple-sport campus coach, academic teacher.