Mirrors to Windows: My Journey in Journalism

As American journalist Sydney J. Harris once said, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” When asked why I want to study journalism at Ohio University, my answer is just that: I want to turn mirrors into windows.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I always knew that my career would involve English; my love for reading as a child wouldn’t allow for anything less, but I couldn’t pinpoint much more beyond that. Until my sophomore year of high school, I threw around the possibility of being a middle school English teacher (outrageous children; no, thank you), a freelance blogger (because that would definitely pay the bills...), and even a lawyer (since I have been told I am a fantastic arguer). But, all unsatisfactory career considerations aside, it wasn’t until I became an editor on Dover High School’s newspaper, The Crimsonian, that my ideal career choice became apparent.

On The Crimsonian staff, I served as copy editor my first two years before being appointed to editor-in-chief my senior year. As the copy editor, I edited solely for grammar. The task was almost robotic: no comma here; capitalize this; this needs italicizing; reword this section. It wasn’t until my editorship that I had to start paying attention. Instead of just reading for grammar and losing tons of red pens, I was in charge of conducting the brainstorming, choosing the articles that go in the paper, making sure the everyday motions of production went smoothly, and maintaining a team morale that created a comfortable environment, which proved to be difficult among twenty-two teenagers. I wasn’t just reading and editing grammar anymore; I had the responsibility for the entirety of the newspaper in my hands. Throughout my editorship, I have striven to choose articles that exemplify the issues of the world – the injustice, the corruption, the discrimination. Instead of publishing articles solely about Dover, as was the focus of The Crimsonian in past years, I sought to broaden the scope of the newspaper. For some, Dover, Ohio is insignificant to the world; we’re less than 15,000 people strong; it doesn’t matter that our swim team placed second at a sectional tournament; it doesn’t matter if the high school’s boiler is getting replaced. What matters is that George Zimmerman is walking free while Trayvon Martin is six feet underground; what matters is that women still, in 2015, are getting paid less than men doing the same job; what matters is that gay marriage is still illegal in twenty-four states, that rapists are playing on their football team in Steubenville instead of spending their time in jail, that Muslims are being degraded to a generalized religion of terrorists in response to Hollywood propaganda, that men in Congress are telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies – these are the things that matter. Yet so much of Dover is so obsessed with Dover; we look in the mirror and are only worried about what’s going on in a fifteen mile radius of our home. I take dignity, even if only on a small scale, in making real-world problems the focus of The Crimsonian, and of turning the mirrors into windows by opening the eyes of my peers to the injustice going around outside of our town.

In addition to my editorship on The Crimsonian, my journalism experience was broadened when I created Behind the Stage, an entertainment media blog in which my goal was to mesh journalism with my other love, music. Through this, I wrote articles, obtained press passes for festivals and shows, and interviewed artists of a variety of genres, including Billboard Hot 100 artist, New Hollow, as well as a variety of other local and national acts. I wasn’t just writing to high school students anymore. I was dealing with publicists, managers, famous artists, people who had a much higher rank than me, some high school student with a freelance music project. And I got rejected. Quite a few times. Although upsetting at the time, looking back, I think the rejection has provided me with experience many people my age don’t have; I’ve learned that rejection happens; it’s a part of journalism. However, the times I did get granted access to shows and interviews, I was awakened to how rewarding journalism is. I learned about artists. I learned about the stories that inspired songs; I learned how to communicate with people. I enjoyed it, and I learned, and I wanted to share the knowledge I gained, and so I did.

Though Behind the Stage is just a hobby of mine, I placed my heart and soul into it, and it taught me about the real world of journalism, and it only reinforced my choice of journalism as my major. Once my career path was clear to me, my search for a college that could best help me meet my goals was extensive; after it all, I know now that OU will be my second home. The trees, the greenness of campus, the old buildings – it all just felt decidedly me, at my best. Aside from the beauty of OU’s campus, the resources of Scripps have inspired me to attend. Along with its national recognition, the 3,000 internships that the College of Communication provides its students is promising. With students sent to CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The Today Show, OU will help me accomplish my goals in journalism. Ohio University is where I will turn ever more mirrors into windows.