As the 2010-11 school year rolled around, I had to decide which elective to take. Last year, I joined The Feather because I wanted to be an illustrator and draw all kinds of pictures. As it turned out, I never drew anything. I was instead assigned to be a writer the entire year.
This year, I had to decide whether I wanted to join publications again. I considered taking video productions for a new, fun experience.
Therefore, as I weighed the pros and cons of writing for The Feather, I reflected on some of my past experiences.
Last year, I was making the finishing touches on my senior off-campus lunch article. It had taken me a couple of weeks to write, and I was quite happy with the finished product.
However, I went to view the final article and to my utter horror all the work had vanished. After an hour of desperately trying to retrieve the work, I realized it was not coming back. The effort and hours I had put into this nonexistent article made me hold back tears.
I called my older brother Spencer Lee, ’10, alumnus, who was The Feather’s sports editor. He told me how he had deleted a couple of articles in his publications lifetime as well.
I became encouraged and set out on the task of redoing my article. It took a while to complete, but it ended up being one of my favorite articles. Looking back, I’m glad it was deleted. I was in anguish at the time, but I learned to persevere through adversity.
Although publications can be stressful at times, adding much more work to one’s homework load, the journalism skills one acquires can prove beneficial later in life.
Many different jobs call for some background in writing and communications. Private attorney Bruce Bickel, placed in the top 3 percent of lawyers in Northern California by Law and Politics Magazine, recognizes the importance of journalism skills in his job.
“Everything that we do is at the root of journalism: gathering facts and then telling a concise story, without getting hung up on things that are irrelevant,” Bickel said. “You need to take out all the extraneous stuff and just focus on the things that will help in the telling of your story.”
Like a journalist, Bickel must get the facts from both sides before presenting his case to the judge.
“I need to be very objective in the recording of my facts,” Bickel said. “My clients’ natural tendency is to tell me the facts that will help their case. I have to know what the other side is that might hurt their case. Then I think like a journalist. When I’m presenting my story to the judge, I can color it.”
Publications is a great avenue to meeting new people, and although interviewing random people can be scary, it is sometimes surprisingly rewarding.
One time, during an interview with an opposing tennis player, the conversation turned personal. He told me how his mom was battling cancer and that his family was going through a very difficult time. I was then able to sympathize with him and pray for him. Relationships like these definitely make publications worthwhile.
Publications is also an intense class where adrenaline flows. Although I just sit at a computer, I never know when my unpredictable adviser, Greg Stobbe, will do something crazy.
From loud yelps to cackling at amusing jokes, he keeps journalism fun. He has a great ability to infuse passion and wit into his teaching, which pushes me to reach a high level of excellence.
As I recalled all the benefits that publications has given me, including new friendships, better writing and communication skills, preparation for future jobs and perseverance when it comes to work, I knew joining this class again would be the right decision.
Publications has pushed me into becoming not only a stronger writer, but a better communicator. It has forced me to overcome obstacles and get out of my comfort zone. It has taught me valuable lessons and given me memories which will last a lifetime.
For more opinions on publications, read the May 18 article, Journalism expands senior’s creativity.
