When I signed up for my sophomore year classes, I signed up for journalism; honestly, I did it because I needed to get my computer credit out of the way. I never expected to like it, let alone love it. But this all changed when I met Mrs. Huss. I found her room as a place where I could express myself, and she truly helped me build a passion for journalism.

That one decision to take her class opened so many doors to two of the most impactful years of my high school journey. When I got the letter in my Honors ELA 10 class, I was more than thrilled to open it. That excitement shortly faded when I saw that I only got accepted into Newspaper when I applied to be in Yearbook as well.

All summer, I dreaded the fact that a bunch of my friends got into Yearbook, and I only got into Newspaper. When I finally got my schedule, I saw I got placed in both classes and was praying this wasn’t just an accident.

I went and talked about it to Mrs. Huss on the first day of school, and she said I could be in both as long as I could handle being in both. I was more than thrilled to hear this.

One of the best parts of being in both classes was the friendships I made along the way. I met people who I thought I would never be friends with — not in a bad way — just people you think you wouldn’t have things in common with. I would find myself always laughing with these people, and they truly supported me no matter what.

I realized soon that being in Newspaper and Yearbook wasn’t just a class full of random kids, but it was a family. From deadline-to-deadline to celebrating our hard work with treats every week, it built bonds like no other.

But the friendship I’m forever grateful for was with last year’s photo editor, Ava McNiel. She truly made the biggest impact on me and is the reason why I decided I wanted to be this year’s photo editor. In a room full of voices, she took the time to always listen to mine, and her kindness and ability to make me feel seen helped me realize I truly did belong in Newspaper.

Of course, the classes weren’t always easy, but I made it work. And Mrs. Huss, well she could be tough at times, but tough love is still love. I’ve come to understand all the high expectations came from a place of care.

Over the last two years, she wasn’t just my teacher. She became like a mother figure to me, who cared and treated me like her own. Yes, we would get in disagreements at times and get mad at each other but who doesn’t with their mom? This was refreshing to me due to the fact that I don’t have a strong mother figure in my life — so thank you, Mrs. Huss.

Now as I look back, I’m so grateful I took her class just to earn the credit. What started as just a class ended up shaping who I am and who I want to become. All this learning how to manage deadlines, communicating clearly and feedback to grow from made me more confident and capable.

And I know for a fact that I will carry these skills with me into college and beyond.