![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
![All smiles. The group poses for a photo with last year’s book, “This is Our House,” along with their award for third Best in Show. Meikle, who was an Editor-in-Chief for the yearbook last year as well, holds both and stands at the center of the group. “That was an amazing feeling, going and grabbing the third place award,” Meikle said. “All of it paid off. I cried so much over that book, being able to receive [the award] was one of the highlights of my high school career, it was like the coolest thing ever.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/8bookpose_philly-1200x800.jpg)
Seniors have only three weeks left of school, and as the days go by so does my motivation to go to school or even write this column. It has been four eventful, slightly unconventional years. In the end, it’s the people and experiences that I have had along the way that truly made an impact on my life and a positive high school experience.
The Associated Student Body runs the @wlhsclassof_2024 instagram which allows seniors to share their plans for the coming years along with a favorite high school memory. And so after a lot of thought I decided that of all things joining Journalism was my favorite memory from all of high school. Journalism is not just a publication that produces the Amplifier and wlhsNOW.com, it is also a community.
As a kid, I loved to take photos of people, experiences, and places I visited whilst also writing in my travel journals. When I was four years old my parents got me a camera so I could capture pictures during our travels. That year we went to Borneo, Malaysia, where I played on the hotel room’s balcony for hours. Later when my mom looked back at the photos from my camera she realized I had been having a photoshoot using the self timer with my beloved Bearry White (named by my dad after the singer of course) and a stuffed animal monkey.
My dad saw my love for storytelling and he highly encouraged me to take journalism in high school like he had done many years prior. Eventually I caved in, knowing that one semester of taking journalism would make him happy. But after spending some time in the class I eventually realized how much I enjoyed the opportunity to tell other people’s stories and combine my love of both photography and writing. Through the journalism program I have met some of my best friends, got to share unique stories, and interviewed people who have given me a new perspective on life and for that I am forever grateful.
So if you’re reading this and debating becoming a part of journalism, I highly recommend and encourage you to at least give it a shot. Because you do not have to be the best photographer or best writer to be on staff, you just have to have the motivation to improve.
