Above my fireplace is a framed 8x10 photograph of me before my first day of second grade. A half smile limps across my face, at the request of my mother of course. I’m dressed in a brand new white Old Navy tank top; the scratchy lace and fit made me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. Everything about the photo, even my smile, was forced.
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I look at this photo now and it makes me cringe. I wish I could tell the little girl that things get better. I wish I could tell her that she will gain more confidence in herself throughout high school. I wish I could tell her that she will become comfortable socially. That is the girl I am now.
Everything changed when I began taking journalism during my sophomore year. This course demanded that I get comfortable talking to strangers, and I surprised myself with each interview. I went from writing a feature on the new gym teacher, to interviewing the principal about a recent bomb threat, to even calling Harvard University to challenge members of the admissions board on their foreign language requirement.
Today, I ask myself how I went from being afraid to raise my hand to snagging a face-to-face interview with a District Attorney. After a formal award ceremony I attended, hosted by our very own D.A., Anthony Gulluni, I saw newscasters and journalists rushing towards the stage, eager to have their questions answered. I felt compelled to join them. As Editor-in-Chief of my high school newspaper, I felt it was my duty to participate.
I elbowed my way through the crowd until I reached Gulluni. Just when I was going to introduce myself, a journalist from 22 News piped in and tried to cut in front of me. There was no way I was letting her do that, professional status or no professional status. I talked right over her until she retreated to her camera crew. But once I realized that I actually had to speak to Gulluni, I was instantly nervous. I knew I had to do this, not just for the interview, but for myself. I asked my questions and then shook his hand. Before he let go, he looked into my eyes and said, “You’re going places, kid.”
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His words have stuck in my head. This experience made me realize that I can do whatever I want in life. Journalism has enabled me to gain confidence in myself and do things I never imagined back in second grade. The little girl in that 8x10 is stuck in a frame forever. I will never feel boxed in again. Now I am the young woman everyone recognizes from the Friday morning TV show. Now I’m the young woman who snaps photos at every event. Now I’m the young woman who interviews a District Attorney. I’m the kid who is “going places.”
