Commentary: End of year wrap-up

At the beginning of the year, I viewed photojournalism as a course that would teach me photography skills. As the end of the year has come upon us, I have learned a deeper lesson than just knowing how to take a good picture. I have learned the value of putting forth your best effort to support others.

Throughout my high school career a desire was cultivated in me to pursue excellence. However, photojournalism opened my eyes and challenged me on a whole other level.  Being part of The Feather meant coming along side others to support them in their work.

From encouraging my fellow staff members to covering for them at an event, I learned how to be flexible and give forth my time even on busy days. Through team work I also began to get better at photography.

For instance, during homecoming week everyone was assigned multiple events to photograph each day. As I went through the week I was challenged to communicate with others both on and off the team. I realized that we needed to work together in order to cover all of the events.

These simple life lessons were not learned by taking flawless pictures. When I first picked up a camera and began to shoot I could tell that this would be the beginning of a long journey. There were moments where using the functions of a camera seemed like a foreign language. Moments where I was intimidated to take group photos.

Taking pictures of live events was not a piece of cake. One event I remember in particular was at a FC home football game. At that time I was still working on the basics of photography and even before that game had began to feel defeated.

During the night nothing was turning out. It got to the point that when my shift ended, I went home feeling crushed inside.  After that moment the desire to continue to refine and improve my skill grew deep.

Through an enormous amount of blurry pictures and perseverance, I also began to realize the relaxing beauty of capturing moments and memories at FC.

One memory in particular was getting to photograph the Kindergarteners in class. From cowboy day to bring your dad to school day, their excitement was always the same and translated so well in the photos. This experience emphasized the importance of being photographer. Capturing those heartfelt moments has the power to touch everyone’s heart.

This year would not have happened without the hard work of my fellow feather staff members and the continual encouragement from the photojournalism adviser Kori Friesen. They inspired me to continue to get back up and work hard.

Looking back on this year, I have realized joining Photojournalism was definitely a journey filled with many valuable lessons that I would not have learned anywhere else. The impact Kori Friesen and The Feather has had on me has inspired me to truly chase after excellence. Though I may not be pursuing photography in college, I can still use these skills in my future career.

No matter if you are excellent in writing or photography, being a part of a team like this reveals life skills that can be applied anywhere in the world. I would highly encourage readers to pursue something that challenges them. Sometimes it takes a journey to achieve your goals, one can gain new experiences which cultivate growth and understanding for the future.

I will forever cherish these moments.

Alexis Kalugin will be attending Biola University with the hopes to study business.

Reflection gallery below is a collection of images showing growth throughout this year.

For more Feather photos, visit media, photos 2015-16.

For another senior reflection read, Senior reflection: Rees Roggenstein.