I’ve always wondered what I’d remember best when I reflect upon high school.

AP classes? Probably not. Basketball? Not the playing part at least. Journalism? Almost, but not quite.

The answer is a bit more complex than any one activity: I think the most important part of high school – and the only part worth remembering – is the people.

The truth is, the only reason why any of these activities are meaningful to me at all is because of the relationships I’ve formed. These relationships are what have taught me more than any class ever could. They are what push me to wake up at five in the morning for practice. And most importantly, they are what drive me to write articles, edit layout, and conduct countless interviews.

These past four years have truly been a blur. The culture of our community breeds constant busyness in pursuit of the next four years – there’s always more to study, more clubs to join and more tests to take. Yet having been through it all, I simply cannot condone living high school for the sake of college.

Of course, that is easier said than done. Trust me, I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of trying to add on to my schedule in order to craft the “perfect resume” (whatever that means for an 18 year old anyway). But without the experiences gathered through pursuing genuine passions, meaningful relationships are hard to form.

Pursuing my passion for storytelling through journalism is when I feel like myself – it is how I can most accurately represent myself to others. And it is through this true output of myself that I have formed the relationships that mean the most to me. 

My love for journalism stems from its impact on human relationships; to me, journalism is people. In its most meaningful form, it allows me the opportunity to share someone’s story – their passions, interests and background – with others. 

I am immeasurably grateful for my high school journalism career – four years characterized by investment, change, and most of all, growth. In fact, to say that journalism simply expanded my horizons is, frankly, an understatement. 

Journalism brought me to rural, Northern California, speaking to leaders of the Habematolel Pomo tribe to report on their sacred, endangered species. It afforded me the opportunity to meet other student journalists from cities I couldn’t even place on the map. It led me to meet professionals that challenged everything I had once thought about a career in the humanities. Every individual I met through journalism forever altered who I am, the way I write and how I experience communication with others. 

I never could have imagined that my “thing” in high school would be a random elective class selection in eighth grade, but I now think that is what high school is really about – trying anything and everything that interests you, because you never know what will impact you the most.

So will I think about my AP classes? About basketball? About journalism? 

Of course. 

But the only thing I – and really any of us – will truly remember are the people.