By JONAS MILLER
Staff Writer
—
At the beginning of this semester, I had no clue what I was in store for. With one full year of college under my belt, being a freshman was really all that I knew. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting the same kind of experience, but I figured it would be pretty much the same. Boy, was I wrong.
So far, this year has been nothing short of a complete 180 compared to my freshmen year. These first couple months have been an eye-opening experience, and I think I’ve pinpointed what I can attribute this massive life change to.
Writing. More specifically, The Chronicle.
This is my first semester as a Communications major, so I’ve been introduced to an overwhelming number of new concepts and ideas, including journalism, which is the concentration I declared at the beginning of the year.
Going into it, I thought I would enjoy journalism because I’ve always enjoyed writing. In a way, I made the right decision. I certainly enjoy writing, but what my journalism class has done so far is show me which kind of writing that I truly enjoy.
Now, if I came out and said opinion writing is my favorite kind of writing, that would be somewhat true, since the majority of writing I’ve done this year has been opinion. But when I sit back and really look at what I’ve done this year, I see a lot more than just a couple of opinion pieces taped to my wall.
The first thing I submitted to the Chronicle was a profile story I had written for my previously-mentioned journalism class. I wasn’t really expecting much when I sent it in, since I had never thought of myself as someone whose writing was good enough to be published, even in a school newspaper.
Come to find out, I made it into the next edition following my submission of the story. I was so surprised and happy, of course, because that’s a cool thing, but what I didn’t expect to feel so much of was pride. The amount of work and stress that had gone into that story instantly became worth it.
So I sat for a while, and read and re-read my story, constantly glancing back up to the top where it said “By Jonas Miller – Contributing Writer.” And it sounds silly, but I think that might have been my favorite part. Not that my name was on it, even though recognition is cool and all, but the fact that I had contributed to something, something bigger than me and bigger than my writing, and that felt good.
It felt so good, in fact, that it drove me to want more. I wanted to see my name at the top of the page again. So I went to the next Chronicle meeting, which was actually the second one I had attended this year. The first time I went I was so overwhelmed and intimidated by all of the new in the situation that I walked out with the intention to never go back again, but I’m glad I did.
If this gets published, which, if you’re reading it, it obviously did, it will be my ninth piece published so far this semester. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to cut out my articles from the past couple weeks and tape them to my wall, proof that I’m contributing.
As the number of articles on my bedroom wall grows, I can’t help but think about how many other kids like me are out there, searching for something, but not knowing what it is. I’m here to tell you that writing, The Chronicle, contributing- this is it.
At first I thought that I didn’t really want to do interviews and investigative work and fact-checking, because that’s what true journalism is. Then I realized that a newspaper is comprised of more than just news. A newspaper’s main objective is to spread ideas and opinions that otherwise would never be heard. So after I attended that second Chronicle meeting, I decided to take a chance, and I volunteered to write an opinion piece.
For those of you who don’t know, an opinion piece is just what it sounds like. It’s your opportunity to share your opinion on a certain topic. Whether that topic is news related, or about sports, or even about Taylor Swift, the main focus of the article is what you think about it.
I’ve truly enjoyed writing opinion pieces over the last couple of weeks. It’s the closest thing to a journal I’ve ever had. It may not seem like much to those of you who actually read my articles, but the amount of emotion that is released when I write for the Chronicle has turned this accidental hobby into a brilliant form of stress relief for me.
If you’ve never just sat down, and written about how you felt, you’re doing yourself a disservice. I suppose if I had started a diary or some sort of journal when I was younger, I might not be as crazy and emotionally unstable as a I am now, but then again I feel like it’s sort of college’s fault anyways.
If you take anything away from this article, I hope that you understand how grateful I am to have found this outlet. I wasn’t necessarily searching for anything, but I definitely found something. I’m not sure I would be quite as content with life as I am now had I not started writing each week. It’s helped me think through issues in my own life, as well as issues all over the world. I can’t stress enough how good it has felt to be a part of something bigger than myself.
So here’s my advice. Whether you’re 19 or 90, don’t sit back and wait for life to come to you.Find something that you love, and pursue it. If you like to ride your bike, then find other people that enjoy it too, and start a bike-riding club. If it makes you feel good to help others out, then find a local soup kitchen. And if you like writing, any kind of writing, writing to share, or vent, or inform… then do it. Contribute to something that is bigger than just you, give yourself something to be proud of, and get your name at the top of the page.
