What makes you think of journalism as life changing?
I feel like in journalism I was really able to have the opportunity to grow as a leader and as a person. Ms. Rapp was always really really encouraging of everyone to sign up for leadership positions, and being in charge of my peers and underclassmen was a really interesting experience. It allowed me to kind of figure out what kind of leader I wanted to be and how to work well with others and communicate well with others. I know that not only do I love journalism, but I also love the Portola Pilot, and those are two separate things. With journalism, I love writing, I love interviewing, investigating and finding a story to tell, but the Portola Pilot has the most amazing people, funniest people, the most hardworking people, and being with them these past four years has been truly amazing.
Speaking about those personal relationships, could you talk about the community experience of being in the Pilot. Maybe expand upon the friendships you’ve formed with the other four year members or just other members of the production in general.
I feel like I wear that badge with a little bit of honor, just knowing that me and some of the other people were able to stick it through all four years. There’s a shared source of camaraderie where I will speak with someone else who has also been in journalism for four years, and we just talk about old memories. It’s just like you have this shared sort of understanding with someone that’s kind of been through the same experiences as you.
Obviously there were a lot of members of the production that ended up leaving and not staying for all four years. What do you think motivated you to stay involved for so long?
Journalism is just really fun. It’s a class that let me explore a lot of my creative vision, especially with writing and also with creating pages. It also allowed me to explore different leadership positions, and there’s something different about when you are a leader in charge of something that you’re really passionate about that is different than when you're just a random board member of a club.
Could you talk about the relationship that you were able to form with Ms. Rapp and what she’s meant to you as a mentor and teacher?
Ms. Rapp has been one of the biggest pillars of my high school career. She’s helped me to become a better writer, a better speaker, a better communicator, a better leader. She’s played a really big role in helping me transition from this immature, shy, awkward eighth grader to the senior that I am today. I don’t even know what kind of person I would be if she wasn’t my adviser or English teacher. She expects a lot from you, but she is also willing to help you rise above those expectations. I feel like because of her, I’ve become a more mature and thoughtful person since I was more understanding of the fact that my actions have an impact on other people and because of that I should always strive to be someone that not only rises above the expectations, but also someone who serves as an example. I really appreciate her for helping become the person I am today.
What is your favorite memory from each year or if you don’t want to break it down by year, what are some of your favorite memories?
My favorite memory from senior year would definitely have to be laser tag at OC Write Offs. It was completely non-journalism related, but thanks to the editors-in-chief, we were able to have our first team bonding event at write offs before the award ceremony, and it was just so fun. In senior year, I just made so many new friends and got closer to so many new people, and there’s something really strange about being shot at by the person whose story you were editing two days before, and it made me realize that journalism wasn’t just an activity; it wasn’t just an extracurricular; it was a really nice family. It was like a second home.
What are your thoughts knowing this is the last year of Portola Pilot?
There’s something really unique about the journalism classroom. You walk inside or you’re standing in the room, and even on a more casual or laid back day, there’s people who are talking with each other, sometimes yelling at each other across the room; there’s people working and collaborating with each other. There’s movement constantly. If you just take the time to sit and listen to what’s going on, you realize that you are a part of something that is much greater than yourself, and it’s a really interesting experience to just be able to sit and listen and realize that you are contributing to something that is greater than what you can imagine.
What would you say is your favorite story you’ve written, or maybe most memorable story?
One of my favorite stories would be my feature on Momma J that I’m doing right now with Helena. It’s a really bittersweet story, really nostalgic, and I think I tried to explore the same elements in features writing that you might see in professional newspapers. Momma J’s story is something you always hear about, but you never truly understand until a moment like this where with the Coronavirus, you’re missing your final few months, and you realize that Momma J has been teaching for decades and her final few months are also cut short before her retirement. It was a story that made me reflect a lot on these past four years, and I really tried to convey those emotions that I experienced in the interview and that I experienced while reflecting on my high school career into the writing, so I’m really proud of the story. I’m really blessed to have been able to write this story.