I hate writing. This is something I have said on numerous occasions throughout my middle, high school, and even early college career. Writing was never something that I was really great at. I struggled coming up with cohesive stories and especially struggled on elaborating on the details. I would always do the bare minimum essay requirement for my classes, hoping that it would still give me an A. I could never understand those people who wrote over the allotted number of pages, and were able to effectively communicate everything they were thinking into words. It was truly a mystery
I came into college as a film and television major, hoping to produce Reality TV shows in the future. Quickly, I realized that production simply was not for me. I needed to pivot, and that’s how I found public relations. I finally found something that I found interesting, fun and that I seemed to be good at. This new found major would allow me to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, but also any other industry I found interesting in the future, it was perfect.
Coming into SHU, I had some college credits, and often found myself taking multiple winter and summer courses to help me through some gen eds. This sent me way ahead of my peers, and on the track of graduating early. The thought of ending my senior year a semester earlier than all my friends was daunting. I had already lost the spring of my senior year in high school, and didn’t want to miss out again. Through discussions with my mom and scouring the list of majors and programs on SPA, I decided to add another major to my already extensive list of courses (at this point in time I had also already completed two minors). Somehow I landed on the conclusion of adding a major in journalism. Remember, the beginning where I said I hated writing… yeah, so this addition confused my parents and honestly myself as well.
Let me take you through the thought process, public relations and journalism go hand in hand. They work in the same format, and what they write intertwines with one another. So, if I learned to be a journalist as well, I would be a better PR professional. The major was also just another three or four classes to my schedule, so really… what’s the harm?
I sat down in my first journalism class in the spring of my junior year. I was anxious and kinda thought to myself that I’m in way over my head. Two weeks later, I got my first writing assignment for The Spectrum, it was to write an article about one of the shows being produced in the Little Theatre. I reached out to my sources, gathered all the information, and finally sat down to write. To my surprise, it came naturally. In just under half an hour, I had a complete and cohesive article to present to my editors and professor. After that initial piece, I found myself actually excited for my assignments. I was so curious about what I would be writing next, who I would get to interview and how I would be able to create the story. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing my first published article online and in print. It was just so exciting to see something I wrote be published for anyone to see. My experience in this class is what brings me here now, writing to you as an editor in my last piece for The Spectrum.
I truly never thought I would enjoy writing, let alone put myself in a position where I get to do it weekly. I am thankful for my experience on the editorial board, for bringing out a passion I didn’t know I had. This year, I was able to write for two different publications – allowing myself to get out of my comfort zone and seek stories in places I would have never gone before. Journalism has taught me so much over the past year and a half, I am so thankful that I found myself on this seemingly random path. I truly can’t believe I ever once said that I hate writing.
