Growing up, I was never much of a sports kid. I tried basketball, dance and even band, but I never was able to find anything I truly enjoyed. I struggled to find a community I could immerse myself in, and I always fell short. This disappointed not only my parents, but myself. I wanted so desperately to find something I enjoyed, but with my limited resources and how young I was, I couldn’t find much. 

I remember joining journalism my first year of high school like it was yesterday. As cliche as it sounds, I knew when I first stepped into that room for freshman orientation, I would absolutely love it there. I was right. Everyday I looked forward to seeing Kroeze and my new found friends in class and especially getting to discover my newfound love for writing stories. It was my favorite class of the day, and I remember feeling so fortunate to have found something I felt passionate about. I remember seeing the Statesman kids interact in the J-lab and thinking how cool it would be to be a part of that. My biggest mistake was not choosing to join sophomore year. 

When signing up for classes my junior year, I was hesitant to sign up. I wrote down the code for Statesman in the alternative classes section, thinking that it was too risky for some odd reason. After careful thought and consideration, the day before my classes were due, I signed up. I was nervous, but very excited.

I remember my first day of Statesman, everyone was loud and excited to be there, while I sat in silence taking it all in. I started to think that maybe I made another mistake, that I wouldnt fit in here, with all these new people. But I was very wrong. It took me a while to warm up to these strangers, but when I did, it was a bond like no other. I had found a place that felt like home, like the community that I had always wanted. As this year comes to an end, I feel so grateful that my past self took that leap of faith to join, because as cringy as it may be, this is what I feel like I was meant to do.

Thank you Statesman, for giving me a place where I feel I belong. The bonds I have created here I know I will remember for the rest of my lifetime. I couldn’t be more grateful  for each and every person I have met, interviewed, learned from and grown close with over this past year.