Ernest Hemingway once said, “The writer must write what he has to say, not speak it.”
If you asked the younger version of me about writing, I would say no. I could hardly read, much less write. Yes, I could read the words, but I had trouble understanding what I was reading. Sad, huh? I realize, but aside from myself, nobody else was at fault. As time went on, I began to learn more about reading because reading is a required skill for writing. And as time went on, I progressed.
When it was time to pick out electives for senior year, I decided to choose journalism. I wanted to show my talent. Many people didn’t know that writing was something I was passionate about because I was scared to show them. What if they think my writing is horrible? I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone. I couldn’t just have my classmates just knowing me as “Cadet Captain Mullen,” as my senior classmate Cameron Dowdy says.
I was nervous on my first day of journalism class. Even though my teacher, Dr. Robbyn Williams was a perfectionist for detail, she understood that we could all end up published. She recognized my potential as editor in chief the moment she saw me.
“The eye is the key to the soul, when looking at Ms. Mullen, I knew she was curious and ready to learn,” Williams said.
With me just starting journalism, being editor in chief didn’t seem familiar. I was eager to learn more about the position and how I could excel in this.
Being editor in chief is not easy; you must be vocal and honest to help your classmates. Assistant editor in chief Grace Aliu has always worked hard to make sure every story was published. We did it. Darnell, Matthew, Lalia, Precious, Terrion, John, Xoro, Ma’Naida, Margret, Grace and Amya … did it. These individuals are all published. Even though this was my first year in this position, and in this program, I learned a lot and am proud of the achievements that my team has made.
This isn’t a goodbye, this is just me – senior class secretary, student ambassador, yearbook editor, JROTC executive officer, class valedictorian, and finally editor in chief – signing out.
