Connection. It has always been of utmost importance to me and the global pandemic revealed its pertinent role in a joyful life. 

I have always viewed storytelling as the ultimate tool to connect people. Stories passed down from generation to generation and narratives shared from unique person to person allow us to connect to our history, comprehend the realities that shape our society and understand what the world looks and feels like to others.

This idea of connection pulled me to pursue journalism and my experience with it these last 3 years as a part of The Sage Publication has only solidified my feelings.

I have had the pleasure of reporting on a range of topics from The Crown Act and how black students feel about their natural hair to the elections and political news that affects our everyday lives. I have been able to personally interview a diverse plethora of students and many staff members in hopes of accurately portraying the stories of our school body and making every person on our campus feel seen and represented.

Through my interactions with a variety of people, I have learned about what is important to students and why our staff has chosen to work here.

Inspired by these experiences, my dream for The Sage this year was to create a feeling of community both inside and outside the newsroom. 

When I stepped into my new role as Web Editor-in-Chief, it quickly became clear that this was a much larger position than I had anticipated.  Coming off the COVID-19 year of remote learning, half of our reporters had never written an article before and The Sage had a new advisor who was running a journalism class for the first time.

The next few months were full of trial and error: trying out new communication methods, developing new curriculum for instructing how to write a captivating article, and sorting out how to make the most of our limited equipment supply.

The road was bumpy, but as the weeks flew by, the class began to come together. Reporters were producing professional content and I was overjoyed to witness new writers find their own voice and style.

One day I realized that while starting a program anew is difficult it’s an opportunity to create a new, positive, and exciting culture.

As a class we crafted a new mission statement, “The Sage serves as a center for connection among our students, staff, and supporters through quality school-centered reporting that promotes thoughtful discussion and accurately represents the diverse backgrounds, views, and interests of our Sage Creek community,” we wrote.

And those words are what we stuck to. 

Over the course of the year, we reported on school groups such as the Muslim Student Association, covered student sports like girls’ soccer, featured local businesses including the Carlsbad Strawberry Shack and wrote briefs on the Supreme Court case news that dictates the lives of every individual in the US.

One of my fondest memories of senior year was when I witnessed our school librarians open up an article our News and Feature Editor, Nadia Razzaq, had written about them. Their eyes lit up and they were so overwhelmed with happiness. They immediately printed it out and displayed it in the library. 

Seeing their reaction was proof that we were succeeding in our mission. Through our journalism work, we were shining a light on the array of people who make up our school community, sparking connection along the way.

This year’s journalism journey wasn’t about how many awards we won, or the amount of articles we published. It was about the shared experience of building a community within the journalism classroom and allowing our work to forge connection both within Sage Creek High School and out in our Carlsbad community.

I wasn’t expecting to be emotional as my days with the Sage came to an end. But I am because this publication has deeply impacted my life and the people who make it possible will always have a special place in my heart. Walking into the classroom to Mrs. Thompson’s bright and positive energy, working hard to earn Best of SNO badges with Nadia by my side and Benz’s unparalleled hugs are all moments I will remember forever. 

To the Sage staff, I am infinitely proud of the work you have all done and your commitment to the success of our publication. To Mrs. Thompson, thank you for always being there for me. And to all the student journalists to come – search for the topics that you know to be important but are overlooked and shine light on them.

It has been an honor to serve as your Web Editor-in-Chief this year, and as I sign off one final time I urge us all to tell the stories that are important to us in our own unique ways forging connection and community as we walk down our paths.