Elahe's Journalism Year In Review

This year has been my first time experiencing a journalism elective, something I have been very interested in these past few semesters. I have always enjoyed writing and expressing myself through this medium, which is why I was excited when a journalism class was offered as an elective. My only idea of how the class would be structured was how I have seen it in movies before, with students rushing in and out, trying to meet article deadlines and arguing over the front page placement of their newspaper. Even though my actual reality was very different and not at all what I expected it to be, I’m happy I had this school year to experience an environment like this journalism class.

The year started off with me working very hard on my first article, putting in a tremendous amount of effort, but also getting stressed out at the new challenge in my path. I had a difficult time understanding the difference between writing an article and writing an essay for my English class, mostly because that’s what I was most comfortable with. Whenever I have had to write anything for a school-related assignment, I’ve always found it easier to be more formal and complex with my writing style. In journalism, I learned that while formal writing is great for complicated articles and serious topics, it is also important to incorporate a variety of writing styles to be more engaging. This class helped me step out of my comfort zone by experimenting with less formal writing, and learning how to write filler articles just for fun. I’m also a perfectionist, which means I can take three hours to just write a paragraph or two, because I spend most of that time rereading, editing, etc. Having the opportunity to write more fun and light articles means I didn’t really spend a lot of time overthinking my writing. This was because the point I was trying to get across wasn’t complicated at all, and writing these articles was enjoyable and easy.

Not only has this journalism class helped me explore skills outside of my comfort zone, it has also helped me work on my procrastination. The amount of time we have in class to complete assignments, brainstorm ideas with one another, and work on our upcoming interviews was extremely important in me eliminating my procrastination. This is mostly because I knew I would not be wanting to complete any assignments at home when I could just do them during the school day. While this is specifically in journalism, I feel that working on my procrastination during this period gave me the chance for it to carry over into my other subjects, overall making me a more productive person.

While this journalism elective was different then what I expected it to be, in terms of the structure of the class, I still really enjoyed the experience of taking this course. Because of the minimal students and this being Centner’s first “real” attempt at creating a newspaper, the class couldn’t really run like a typical newsroom in bigger schools. Every advancement we made was a first, which in turn created a certain level of excitement, like when we finally published our website and all us journalists started consistently contributing articles to the site.

All in all, I am proud of what I have accomplished in this class throughout these past two semesters, and I can definitely say that this journalism class has allowed me to grow as a person, better my skills, and explore areas outside of my comfort zone.

Interested? Find more by Elahe here!

ABOUT ELAHE

Elahe Zandy is 16 years old and a 10th grade student at Centner Academy. Her interest in journalism comes from an overall love for writing and expressing her thoughts on paper, as well as just a passion for learning about what is going on in the world. Last year, she had her first experience in the competitive world of writing, since she participated in the Emmerse Essay Competition, resulting in winning a scholarship for a summer program. Being a part of the Centner Academy journalism program has been a great experience to understand all the different aspects of the profession and the importance of news. In addition to enjoying writing, Elahe spends her time playing on the Centner Academy Tennis Team and co-chairing the Field Trip Fundraising Club.