As many times as I’ve put pen to paper and effortlessly composed near thousand-word articles, it’s a wonder that I am struggling to write on a subject as close to home as my high school experience: my time in journalism. 

Yet this issue, I share this retrospective, and in doing so I fulfill a promise to myself made two years ago when, seeing Mr. List’s exasperation at the half-dozen seniors procrastinating on their columns, I vowed to turn this article in on time. It is also today that I curse myself for my naivete: It’s not as easy as it looks.

At the end of Journalism 1, I was hesitant to join The Bull’s Eye without my friends, who’d decided not to move on, but applied regardless after a lot of reflecting—after all, I’d heard from the upperclassmen that Journalism 2 was a completely different experience from J1. Their words held true—the class was much more lax and less structured, yet because I hadn’t joined a section, I was unable to fully experience what makes The Bull’s Eye so special: its familial atmosphere. Thus, I repeated the same mistake again and decided not to move on, before changing my mind last-minute—albeit too late to join a section.

Amidst all my wavering, though, I learned what it was like to be a part of a team. I never sacrificed quality or timeliness just because I didn’t feel as involved in the paper; always doing my best because others were relying on me to get things done. Maybe procrastination is OK when it’s just your grade on the line, but within a team, everyone’s hard work is suddenly vital to success. And as I worked, writing more prolifically than ever before, I found my voice in political matters, eventually becoming a de-facto member of the opinion section for which I am now co-editor.

As tumultuous as these past four years have been—especially the last—and as much as I’ve written scathing criticisms of our school, complained about how much I hate any number of my classes and lamented every little thing, there’s nowhere else I would rather have been than right here, with the best high school newspaper staff, some of the most knowledgeable teachers and most dedicated peers.

To my fellow seniors, I wish you good luck in your future endeavors. You’d better come back and visit me here in Diamond Bar. To the juniors and sophomores who succeed us, I hope you can stay strong in Mr. List’s absence, and hopefully you’ll have a wonderful new adviser to guide you in the future.

 To every incoming staff member and J1 student, I want you to know that if you give it your all, you will never regret joining The Bull’s Eye. Finally, to everyone else at Diamond Bar High School—students, staff, teachers alike—thank you for everything.