Issue Date: 5/19/08
Stretching yourself is the only way to grow
It seems like just yesterday when I walked into The Telescope for the first time.
After almost a year of nagging me to give it a try, my friend and fellow writer Shahrazad Encinias finally convinced me to give the school newspaper a try.
I had no experience just a love for sports and writing - especially baseball.
The sports editor at the time - a fellow baseball fanatic - took me under his wing and in no time I became a regular around the Comets dugout.
My first semester was much more than I had expected. Some of my best memories are of my experiences that spring, but still I never imagined I would be where I am today.
When the end of that semester arrived, I reluctantly accepted the position of opinion editor at The Telescope.
Although I had my heart set on sports and had never written an opinion piece before I quickly realized what apparently everyone else already knew - I have a lot of opinions, and prefer not to keep them to myself.
I started to see that stepping outside of my routine forced me to grow as a writer and as a person. The transition I have gone through from my first issue as an editor up to now, my last, has been amazing. I have been very lucky to have as much help as I have had.
As much as I hate to admit it without the guidance of my first editor John Scafetta I have no idea where I would be. He has brought me from an insecure writer to a sometimes too confident editor.
And then there were the instructional assistants Tom Chambers and Chuck Steinman, the most important thing I have ever learned as a journalist is not to be afraid of pissing people off, and I owe it all to Chambers. Writing has been a lot more fun since then.
While tackling opinion writing was somewhat new to me, I knew I at least had the general writing thing down - but when it came to design and layout, calling me ignorant would be putting it nicely.
Thankfully I had the wonderful Chuck, who has taught me everything I need to know about actually putting together a newspaper - and, to be fair, how to write a headline that doesn't suck.
My experience here at the paper has all been trial and error. I have tried new things I never thought I would enjoy and I've found a new direction for myself in doing them.
I was never very open to new things. I had my routine and hated change. But now, as I look back over my time here, I have seen what great opportunities await if you are just willing to be open to different things.
As I prepare to leave The Telescope, I think of Frank Sinatra, who can say anything better than anyone: "Yes there were times, I'm sure you knew, when I bit off more than I can chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all, and I stood tall, and did it my way."
The Telescope has consumed my life for the past year, and a part of me doesn't know what I will do without it, but I do know I am open to whatever life throws my way.
After almost a year of nagging me to give it a try, my friend and fellow writer Shahrazad Encinias finally convinced me to give the school newspaper a try.
I had no experience just a love for sports and writing - especially baseball.
The sports editor at the time - a fellow baseball fanatic - took me under his wing and in no time I became a regular around the Comets dugout.
My first semester was much more than I had expected. Some of my best memories are of my experiences that spring, but still I never imagined I would be where I am today.
When the end of that semester arrived, I reluctantly accepted the position of opinion editor at The Telescope.
Although I had my heart set on sports and had never written an opinion piece before I quickly realized what apparently everyone else already knew - I have a lot of opinions, and prefer not to keep them to myself.
I started to see that stepping outside of my routine forced me to grow as a writer and as a person. The transition I have gone through from my first issue as an editor up to now, my last, has been amazing. I have been very lucky to have as much help as I have had.
As much as I hate to admit it without the guidance of my first editor John Scafetta I have no idea where I would be. He has brought me from an insecure writer to a sometimes too confident editor.
And then there were the instructional assistants Tom Chambers and Chuck Steinman, the most important thing I have ever learned as a journalist is not to be afraid of pissing people off, and I owe it all to Chambers. Writing has been a lot more fun since then.
While tackling opinion writing was somewhat new to me, I knew I at least had the general writing thing down - but when it came to design and layout, calling me ignorant would be putting it nicely.
Thankfully I had the wonderful Chuck, who has taught me everything I need to know about actually putting together a newspaper - and, to be fair, how to write a headline that doesn't suck.
My experience here at the paper has all been trial and error. I have tried new things I never thought I would enjoy and I've found a new direction for myself in doing them.
I was never very open to new things. I had my routine and hated change. But now, as I look back over my time here, I have seen what great opportunities await if you are just willing to be open to different things.
As I prepare to leave The Telescope, I think of Frank Sinatra, who can say anything better than anyone: "Yes there were times, I'm sure you knew, when I bit off more than I can chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all, and I stood tall, and did it my way."
The Telescope has consumed my life for the past year, and a part of me doesn't know what I will do without it, but I do know I am open to whatever life throws my way.
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