Dear Journalism,

 

I still remember the day I fell in love with you. 

 

“And the winner for the short story competition is… Clare Kirwan!”

 

I was handed a $10 bill and a high five from the editor in chief of the newspaper for winning the free write competition at a middle school journalism workshop. 

 

Once home, I burst through the door proudly holding my $10 bill to show my mom.

 

“Your first paid journalism article, Clare!” she said.

 

My sister brought home the high school paper two weeks later with my short story on page B8.

 

And that was the spark. It was love at first sight. Sort of.

 

The first time I interviewed someone I panicked. As a shy freshman I was nervous to talk to those around me. However, when I logged onto the Zoom interview —after getting beyond my initial anxiety— I quickly learned that an interview is just a conversation and that the interviewee is also nervous to talk about themselves. In the same way that I have questioned why I am deserving of telling their stories, they question why they are deserving of sharing their stories. My fears dissipated as I shifted my focus off of myself and more towards creating space for the person sharing. It’s a journalist's job and honor to allow people to share their stories in the way they feel most comfortable. 

 

Thank you for helping me develop confidence and become other-focused, Journalism. 

At Harrisonburg High School (HHS) Media we have a saying, “Every person has a story. We tell them.” I began to internalize this motto sophomore year when a sexual assault case in my community came to light and I watched on as it triggered many emotions of students in my own school. I immediately began researching and was surprised to learn that, worldwide, 81% of women experience some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime. There were many girls that had taken action on social media from my high school regarding the cause and I immediately reached out to them. The interviewees graciously shared their own experiences of sexual assault with me. It hit me then that these are the stories I needed to be telling. If students were brave enough to tell me their stories, I needed to be brave enough to portray them and publish them authentically. Thank you Journalism, for giving me a medium in which I can tell these tough, yet important stories.

 

Thank you, Journalism, for opening doors for me. Interviewing the U.S. Secretary of Education was an eye opening experience about the inner workings of the American education system. The Secretary’s visit to our school system came as part of his Road to Success tour, a national education tour aimed at highlighting public schools with dual language programs. Harrisonburg school division is made up predominantly of people of color from over 90 countries and with 40% of students enrolled in the dual language program. With this diverse population, the dual language and liaison programs at my school are instrumental in promoting dialogue. After this story, we began to diversify our coverage to make it more accessible to English Language Learners and those in the Dual Language program. 

 

An article I wrote on the protests in Iran was read by students at a University in Utrecht, Belgium, allowing me the privilege of contributing to the promotion of women’s rights around the globe. Working with you, Journalism, has allowed me to learn, grow and experience things that I would not have otherwise. For that I am eternally grateful.

 

As that socially anxious tween, I never thought I would be the one teaching other students how to interview just three years later. I’ve surprised myself as I’ve progressed from mentee, to staff reporter, to page editor, to managing editor, and to now to leading others as the head editor in chief. As the head editor of both the newspaper and the yearbook, you, Journalism, have been one daunting task. You have helped me learn how to delegate, collaborate, design, and, maybe most importantly, give and receive both constructive criticism and encouragement.

 

You push me to ask the hard questions and write the hard stories. You provide me with a platform to elevate the diverse student voices at my school, learn from other’s experiences, research current events, tap into my creative abilities and explore graphic design. I am so excited to see what you have in store for me in the future.

 

Can't wait to see how our story will unfold,

Clare Kirwan