My years at McDaniel have been pretty enjoyable, minus it being school. I’ve met a lot of new people from different walks of life. My freshman year, I came in here not looking for something super new, but eventually, at the end of my freshman year, I found people and friends that made me enjoy coming to school every day just to sit with them at lunch. 

There were a lot of different options to meet new people in sports that I joined and continued to play throughout the years. There are a variety of classes and programs this school has to offer, including all the CTE programs that really let you do something you enjoy, and help you meet new people who feel the same. I’ve done a lot of different classes here at McDaniel, like Construction, Intro to design, Spanish, ASL, Screen printing, Ceramics, Human Body Systems, and lastly Newspaper. Each individual class I enjoyed, and I took something from each year that I am very excited to bring into my life when I leave here. 

I only joined the newspaper in my senior year because one of my close friends encouraged me to, not really knowing what I was getting into, but I’m glad I joined. It has definitely been a learning curve from normal English classes, never really putting your work out there, but this was for the whole school to see online and in print. I always got good and constructive feedback from my classmates and peers making me a better writer and making me good and taking that feedback and really taking it into consideration in my writing. 

Some of my favorite memories about the newspaper were when we all played Scattegories or had fun game days in general. It really showed how, as a class, we can be serious and produce a really good paper, but at the same time have lots of fun and laugh with each other. Another memory was as one of the ad managers learning how to call businesses to try and get them to buy ads. It was definitely a little scary, but super fun when you’re doing it with classmates.  This class has made me learn how to work better with others, better at communicating, and trusting myself with decisions. 

My time at McDaniel has been more than just going to school, it’s been more than just going to school. It’s been about growing as a person and a student, trying new things, and building connections that will carry with me after high school. From the friendships I’ve made to the classes that pushed me out of my comfort zone, I’ve gained experiences that have shaped me as a person today. As I move on with my next chapter, I’ll take everything I’ve learned here with me and continue to build on it in the future.