My Story

My love of writing goes back to way before my time at Elon University, however. I have always loved to write, dating back to my days of writing fantastical and immersive short stories. However, I mostly stuck to creative writing. But when I got to high school it all changed. I decided to take as many English electives as possible so I could improve my writing. This included a few creative writing classes, but it also included some introductory journalism classes. Those journalism classes forever changed how I viewed writing and my own self confidence. When I started high school, talking to unfamiliar people was an anxious experience for me. However, I decided to give Journalism class a try, despite my reservations about having to talk to people for interviews. My first interview was extremely nerve racking because it required me to talk to two upperclassmen I didn’t know, but as I conducted more and more interviews I gained confidence, and started to come out of my shell. I began to apply the imagination and creativity that I usually poured into fiction to newspaper articles, translating my fictional writing into an informational and journalistic style. For example, my experience outlining ideas for fiction stories helped me outline articles, too.

By the end of my sophomore year, I realized that journalism was something I could do. My shyness, far from being a weakness, had helped me develop strong listening skills that actually made me a better journalist. I loved asking questions, conducting research, and bringing attention to stories impacting my community and the world. 

Journalism opened a whole new world to me. One where I can connect with people through my writing and inform the world around me. Now that I am in college, I am improving my reporting skills in more ways than one. I am experimenting with multiple mediums, while staying true to my love of writing. I will be majoring in Journalism with a minor in Sports Management, with the dream of one day covering sports as a full time journalist. Journalism is a fervent passion of mine, and I will remain true to its noble ideals as I strive for a career in journalism.