I signed up for Lantern thinking I was going to get to make lanterns out of paper, and I could not have been more wrong. 

 As a new student in the district, I did not know anyone and I was afraid to branch out from my comfort zone. I never would have thought that writing would have been my link to outside of what I knew. Writing is something internal and is something I have always been good at. But writing for a newspaper is not a regular writing assignment, and that is something I learned very quickly. I had to go out and talk to people who I had never met or heard of before, and that scared me. 

Having to talk to new people for my articles was something that was nerve racking to me originally, but it ended up being one of the most beneficial things for me throughout the rest of my high school career. It encouraged me to go meet new people all the time, which enabled me to form new relationships with those who I would not have otherwise known. It gave me a way to get involved in my new school in a way that I loved. 

During my three years on the Lantern staff, I have learned a lot about my school and the people in it. I have been privileged with getting to know my fellow peers in Lantern. Whether I am editing my classmates’ articles, talking to them in class, or spending time with them at the annual OSMA convention, I am so thankful I got to know them, and I am proud of everyone and their accomplishments as journalists. We recently went to OSMA and were awarded first place for our website, and everyone helped greatly to contribute to this win. 

Not only have I learned about my school and the people of Revere, but I have also learned more about myself. I learned that I have a passion for journalism, and I will be continuing my education at Ohio University with a major in journalism. I am excited to explore all of the opportunities that Ohio University’s journalism program has to offer, and I am even more excited to start my career.

 I am glad I was wrong in my thinking that “Lantern Production” was making paper lanterns. My silly mistake led me to realize that journalism is what I want to pursue as a career, and that is a conclusion I never would have come to without Lantern.