As a freshman, all I remembering hearing is my English teacher Mr. [Greg] Stobbe promoting The Feather and how some of the students should become a staffer. I refused every single time he would ask me. I told myself I would rather die than sell my soul to Stobbe.

At this point in my academic career, I hated my English class and anything to do with essays. Well, as the semester continued, Mr. Stobbe was still on fire and persistent to win kids over to The Feather. I was stubborn, I said no, passionately.

The beginning of sophomore year I was in deep trouble, my writing skills were below average and I had previously been writing D+ papers. I went against everything I said I would never do, and I joined The Feather. Stobbe had persuaded me to join because he knew I struggled and he was willing to help me improve.

During my first semester as a Feather staffer I wrote two essays in my English class and received a B and B-. My teacher was surprised and so was I. I knew all the hard work and criticism would eventually pay off. But that was just the beginning: Stobbe put more and more pressure on me, and even threatened to fire me numerous times if I could not follow through with an article on time. I gradually began to develop my skills in writing and by the end of the 2011 school year, I could write an article in a day.

Currently I am in the junior English class with Stobbe and received my first A+ essay with only minor corrections. I have developed more skills and confidence to write six page essays and being timed with in-class essays. Without The Feather I would probably be maintaining a mediocre grade of a C. I am thankful for my persistent adviser and my peers on The Feather.

For more columns, read My five favorite things about The Feather. For more information on joining The Feather Online, contact Greg Stobbe.