Being a senior has definitely come with some challenges when it comes to applying for college and scholarships. It seemed almost more difficult when being first introduced into Broadcast Journalism. Though I had been involved in Intro to Journalism, I didn’t quite have the ropes on editing and producing a story each week. 

With the year of 2020-2021 being Covid Ridden, it produced even more challenges for someone just getting into Broadcasting. Every other day I had to work from home, which meant I had to use an editing software that traveled with me. That being said, my computer wasn’t the best at producing that for me. I had many technical problems with both my computer and phone, making it so I couldn’t edit for three weeks. With us not showing up everyday, it made it even harder to troubleshoot with my teacher because we only had 2-3 days out of the week to look at it, and he was usually gone one of those days. After a while, we were finally able to come to a device that I could edit on: The Mac. 

With finally being able to edit, I was starting to get stories put together. Though, just because I had the right equipment does not mean that I was able to produce at a consistent speed. Again, I had never edited to this extent before, making it completely new to me. I had to figure everything out, asking my teacher and classmates for help along the way, but I eventually was able to pick up the pace. Though individual stories were still nice to put effort into, the one thing I had looked forward to when signing up for the class was the shows. Unfortunately, we didn’t not have enough people to do the shows. We had tried 2nd semester, but even then, no one cared enough to put effort into making stories to put in the show. That was one of the most disappointing parts of Journalism. 

Though I had missed out on that, I still had some amazing opportunities I was presented with. I was able to produce a 20 minute senior slideshow with one of my friends in Broadcast. I was able to participate in a recorded debate on First Amendment Rights for Journalists. I was able to learn how to be a journalist, how to tell stories. I didn’t just learn to edit, I learned how to produce and communicate. 

Though I still have some kinks I have to work out with Journalism (such as getting interviews and dealing with an outdated school computer) I have grown a lot. I have come from a place of ignorance into a place of responsibility and self-discipline. I believe that I have produced good stories, and done the best that I can to keep Journalism alive at Thomas Jefferson High School. Thank you, Mr. Lindquist. Have an amazing year everyone, and this is Goodbye from Chloe Brooks, Swarm TV.