I had always been interested in the news for a long time. When I was younger, I was fascinated when my Dad would tell me what was going on around the world, whether it be locally or in another country.

Prior to high school, journalism had always seemed like a job or hobby that I would never be able to participate in. The first time I realized that being a journalist was an achievable goal was when I first saw a print issue of The Muse when was in my audition for Dreyfoos, the school I currently attend.

Throughout my freshman year, taking a journalism class as one of my communications electives had always been in the back of my mind. When it was time to choose my tracks for my sophomore year, I confidently decided to join The Muse.

In my sophomore year, I joined The Muse as a photo staffer. The first story I covered that year was about a "Fun Friday" event that my school was having, themed after the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. My anxiety was through the roof when I to the cafeteria. Despite this, I had been able to capture photos that I was proud of.

This meant that my very first work had been a success, and the feeling of pride and satisfaction has driven me to do my best throughout my time on the publication.

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for me to work on my first print issue of The Muse. I was very excited to finally have my work published in the very thing that inspired me to do journalism in the first place. But unlike my other stories that I had covered, this story’s process did not go smoothly.

My original plan was to take portraits of the people who were interviewed for the story. However, the people who I wanted to take photos of canceled on me many times. I ended up taking photos of complementary material, which was published for the story rather than the portraits. Although I was disappointed, this experience taught me about the importance of deadline management, which has stuck with me throughout the rest of the stories I have created while on the publication.

My sophomore year quickly flew by, and before I knew it, I had worked on 4 print issues and 11 web stories. As the final quarter dawned on my sophomore year, a new opportunity arose for my junior year: Becoming a photo editor. I applied and was selected to take that position along with my fellow photographer Ashwin Kishor.

Going into the new position of an editor was intimidating to me. However, as I did editor training over the summer, I warmed up to the position quickly. We now had 10 photo staffers on the publication that Ashwin and I would be in charge of, and I was excited to help them and their work grow throughout the year.

Throughout my time as a photo editor so far, I have learned how to tailor my edits to each person and keep in mind their strengths and weaknesses. I have also strengthened my skills with editing photographs, which was one of my weak areas going into my junior year, because to my constant exposure to my staffer's work.

One trait that I valued last year in my editors was their willingness to help me no matter the circumstance. I have tried to carry this trait with me as an upperclassman, and I always try to reach out a helping hand to my staffers.

Although it may sound corny, my past two years on the publication have truly served to shape who I am as a person now. Being an editor has helped me become more confident, not only when leading others inside of The Muse, but also when reaching out to adults or students for requests and when presenting my work to others. No matter what happens next as a journalist or as a student, I know that my time on the publication will be valuable no matter the circumstance.