Major Reflection

Reflecting on my journey in the Palo Alto high school journalism program, I believe that my most recent semester in C-Magazine has been eye-opening and transformative. I have learned so many valuable skills not only in reporting and writing but in learning how to use difficult tech tools and going out of my comfort zone.​

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Going into high school, even this past year, I definitely did not see myself as a strong writer. In the past I struggled with putting down my ideas on paper, always worrying about what people would think of my writing and how they would view me for it. This resulted in a lot of procrastination of writing assignments even outside of C-Magazine/beginning journalism and avoiding writing as a whole (and some ChatGPT use…). I will admit, I am a slight perfectionist when it comes to writing and designing things, not turning it in until it is absolutely perfect, but I think that is where my time in C-Magazine has changed me the most. ​

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I’m not sure where this originates from but I realize now that I was afraid of feedback. I had never done journalistic writing before and I didn’t want people to see me differently if my writing was “bad” or needed fixing. There are so many gifted writers in class, I didn’t (and still don’t) want to be the odd one out. 

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Through lots of convincing and reassurance (Gin will know what I’m talking about, lol), Our EIC’S this year are the ones who pushed me to just go for it. That's why I believe that reporting and writing for the publication has been where I’ve learned the most. Through just writing without caring about the perfection of it I have gotten amazing feedback from classmates. They all give such good suggestions making my writing even better than if I had loomed over it all by myself.

 

I am eternally grateful for the amazing people and friends that have helped me change my mindset about writing. They probably don’t even realize it but they probably saved me from the silent agony of deteriorating grades. It was fun to learn a new style of writing than what I was used to in my normal English classes. It challenged me to grow as a writer and learn many skills that I will use forever.

 

In addition to learning good writing skills, I have also learned how to use the painfully confusing tech that we use in class and production. I have never been a tech girlie but being in this class has forced me to become one. Last year, I depended on my story partners dragging me along as they helped me navigate the Indesign spreads. But now, after this semester I can confidently say that I can teach someone how to use the functions of Indesign. 

 

This also relates to the website versions of our stories. After this semester and help from classmates I feel much better about making the online versions. I have learned how to add fun attachments and polls online and it definitely makes the website much more engaging and fun for those who don’t get our magazines. 

 

I’ve learned so much in my short(ish) amount of time that I have been at C-Magazine. From overcoming confidence issues and learning how to use new tech I am super excited to see what else I can learn from my classmates during this time. 

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