In May of 2025, my life will change forever. I will graduate from high school. With that, I will also graduate from the Trojan Messenger. I have been a part of this staff for three school years. I blossomed from an awkward, quiet sophomore to a more energetic but still anxious senior.
My first day in journalism was the second semester of my sophomore year in 2023. At that time, I was not very confident in my writing skills and started to question why I was in the class. That was until Mrs. Nester pulled me aside one day in class to tell me that she thought my writing was stellar, and she wanted me to be in journalism again. I took her advice and decided that I wanted to be in the class again. My confidence and ego grew after I won the journalism award that year.
Junior year came and went, but I remember my time in journalism very well. We had a lot of staff that year, and we had new leadership. Miss Bowker offered me the position of copy editor, and I accepted. I was able to expand my knowledge of the journalism field. I wrote on a wide variety of topics that year.
This year is a special one for me. It is my last year on the staff, and it is my last year in high school ever. I was able to become co-editor-in-chief this year along with my friend Colby. I wanted to expand my writing this year, and I think I have. After this article is published, I will have written 33 articles during my time on the staff. Freshman me would have never thought that I would achieve this. I always thought I might never find my passion or purpose in life, but through this program, I think that I have.
I have grown throughout my time here. I am no longer a girl who is afraid to share my thoughts, feelings, passons, and beliefs. I am now an outspoken woman, who, when around the right people, is not afraid to tell anyone what she believes.
As the semester comes to a close, I have often thought about what I will do without the Trojan Messenger. It has been a defining factor in my high school career. I know that in 2025 I will no longer be a part of this amazing staff. I know that I want writing to be an important part of my life. I don’t think that I want to be a mainstream journalist because that is a very hard dream to achieve. Right now, I want to go to George Mason University to major in Government and become an immigration lawyer.
Next year, the Trojan Messenger will have an all new staff, and I am sure they will do amazing things. I will be reading every article and watching every podcast episode. I will try to comment on as much as I can, but I cannot make any promises right now. My hope is that the Trojan Messenger will continue to shape the lives of many students in the future as it has mine.
My advice for any student thinking about journalism is to do it. One of the most important things you can do in life is to try new things, and you never know how you like something until you try it. I also want every underclassman to enjoy their high school experience. Don’t let the time pass you by because next thing you know, you’ll be in your final year and wishing that you could go back and do it all over.
Overall, I can say this class has made my high school year enjoyable, and I will look back on these memories for many years to come. The last day of this class is going to be very emotional for me, and if you see me crying when I leave that day, please don’t judge. I am just processing my emotions.
I think I have been rambling for long enough so I will just leave you with this: Thanks for reading what I write. You didn’t have to do it, but you did. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this. I will never forget the Trojan Messenger.
This is Mylie Dillion, co-editor-in-chief, signing off.
