High school is a paradox. For four short years we work to plan an entire future, all the while we’re still growing and developing every day. For me, it’s been four years of ricocheting back and forth between impatiently waiting for the next chapter of life, and desperately hoping to stay in the happy memories made with friends. Of course, nothing magnifies this bittersweet feeling quite like senior year.
Looking back, I’m so glad to have been given the opportunity to join Rampage.
I know it’s corny, but this class has been such a constant in my life for the past three years. While friendships, relationships, and classes changed, Rampage was always there all the same. This class also helped me realize where my passions lay.
I came into high school with a vague nebulous idea of what I wanted to do career-wise, and because of my experiences in Rampage, I can now say confidently that whatever I may end up doing, I want it to be related somehow tothe field of journalism.
Ever since my first opinion article, I’ve been hooked. I love having a voice in my community. Last year I held the position of Opinion Page Editor for the high school paper, and I continued to write op-eds while also drawing political cartoons about issues ranging from gun control to the school dress code.
This year, as Editor-in-Chief of the paper, I received a lot of feedback over one column in particular, written about racism towards Asian students–which I wrote in response to a school performance that could be described as incredibly racially insensitive at best.
Teachers sent me angry letters, calling me a bully and a liar. My critics couldn’t dispute anything I’d written, so they attacked my character. I saw this reaction as proof that I’d had an impact, and hey, it’s always nice to hear that people were reading what I wrote.
Honestly, I don’t care about unconstructive criticism, or unnecessarily negative feedback. Contrary to what some people might think, I don’t just set out to spark controversy. I simply see journalism as a way to serve the community; to provide both information and to ask questions if something seems off.
On more than one occasion, people have told me that Rampage needs to be “more positive.” My response to this will always be to say that our job as the school newspaper is not to be a PR branch for the school. Our job is to be diligent reporters, to look at things from every angle, even the unflattering ones.
Frankly, I’m really proud of the staff this year. With so many issues facing not only TCHS but Temple City as a whole, they’ve had to work hard to keep up without the writing quality suffering. On top of that, we’ve been able to expand our social media in ways completely unthought of a mere two years ago. It’s been a good year, and I can’t wait to see which direction that next year’s staff and leadership will take.
I’ve learned a lot in the past four years. I’ve become more comfortable being my own loud, happy, queer self. I’ve lost old friends and made new ones. I definitely have favorites when it comes to teachers. I have shared countless opinions (whether in paper or just loudly in class). But that’s high school. You laugh, you cry, you get over it. And when you’re done, you’re smarter and stronger and ready to move on to bigger and better things.
TCHS School Newspaper