This is it.

This year, as well as the past 2 years on the cub, have been among some of the most eye-opening years of my life. I remember going into journalism, barely being able to speak to a stranger. I was a quiet kid after COVID-19 happened. I had hardly any social skills; I couldn’t even order my own food from a waitress because I would be too scared. Joining journalism forced me to be more confident and open up.

I remember entering the journalism room and being faced with so many opportunities that I was ready to grab. One of those opportunities was being invited to the journalism conference (WJMC). I remember being so excited that nothing in this world would stop me from going.

WJMC was an incredible experience for me; it was my first time on a college campus, and it was such a freeing experience. It was my first time roaming without an adult, and I had never felt so excited about anything in my life. I got to sit in college classrooms and talk to reporters who were famous online and on TV. Before WJMC, I never thought meeting a person who was on TV was possible for me, and there I was, speaking to the people from TV one-on-one.

Through that experience, I had learned that journalism was no longer something I wanted to do as a career, which may sound bad, but that’s not how I see it at all. I saw it as an opportunity to find out what I do and do not like before finding out the hard way after spending a bunch of money on college. I will forever be grateful for the unforgettable experience that was WJMC.

Through that experience, I have discovered that I want to be a detective. I have always wanted to help those in need, and I have always loved to study law. I hope to specialize in domestic cases in the future, and I’m sure I will love doing that.

I would not have had that opportunity at all without Mrs. Schaarschmidt. Mrs. Schaarschmidt nominated me for WJMC and allowed me to learn about everything that encompasses journalism. I learned more than I ever could’ve in a school classroom, and that was all thanks to Mrs. Schaarschmidt. As a kid who could never truly learn, stuck in a classroom, she helped me reach beyond the school’s walls and learn more.

I would also like to give a special thank-you to my former editors, Ethan Milard and John Loos. A person hasn’t experienced a loss of a graduating classmate like I have until they have met those two wonderful human beings. They weren’t just my editors, but also people who would give incredibly helpful life advice. They were people whom I felt I could come to with anything if I wanted a straightforward answer.

My experience in the CUB has been unforgettable, and I am incredibly saddened to be leaving the journalism class. I am, however, incredibly excited to see what the road ahead has in store for me, as I’m sure I will go on to do amazing things.

My favorite quote is, “You don’t need to know what you want to do forever. You need to know what you’d like to do next.” -unknown.

This quote has driven me throughout the entirety of high school. My biggest piece of advice that I can give anyone is that people change so many times throughout their lives; everyone is so different. Do not follow the masses. Follow your heart.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has been, or will be, on the CUB. This includes the subscribers and viewers of the CUB, too. Everyone is a participant in this newspaper, whether they recognize it or not. Everyone who is, was, or will be a part of the CUB is truly like a piece of family to me, and I will never take that for granted. In a world full of so much negativity, I have always been able to find my happy place through this newspaper.