A goodbye to senior journalists

By Amber Stentzel

Saying goodbye can be difficult and heart-wrenching, especially when saying goodbye to our amazing Senior Writing Staff. The senior journalists of 2024 have brought amazing memories and stories to the classes below. As the seniors wrap up their final articles, they reflect on the past and look to the future, saying goodbye to the other journalists and people they have interacted with over the last four years. 

Picture of Seniors: Atalie Sherman, McKenna Worsham, Josh Foreman, Alivia Williams, James Burkhalter and Dominic Leading Fox, taken by Mr. Andrew DeBella

One thing the seniors agreed on as their favorite aspect of the journalism class is the friendly environment. Everyone is supportive and gives constructive criticism to help each other improve. They are all connected through their love for art. 

“It feels like a family. It gave me a place at OHS to feel like I really belong and am doing something for a purpose. It has been the best part of my high school career by far,” Alivia Williams smiled.

Williams plans to pursue pediatric dentistry. She expresses her love for working with kids and how journalism has helped her gain “the resources to understand that there's a story within everyone—and they're all worth listening to.” As she created articles and got to know the people she was interviewing, she became more understanding about what people go through. She has learned not to judge others and to always listen. This has helped her to become more compassionate, especially when working with little kids.

James Burkhalter adds that his favorite thing about journalism is "how many intelligent people I am surrounded by every day. I am constantly astounded by how talented and insightful journalism students are. I am proud to call them my friends.”

Burkhalter plans to go to Howard University to major in English. He comments on how he has “always loved English as a subject, but Journalism has opened my eyes to all of the possibilities of it.”

“Everyone [in journalism] is different. Everyone has something new to offer and a safe environment to offer it… hearing about breakup experiences or how some people deal with family problems or something as mundane as study techniques, we all talk, and nothing goes unexplored,” another senior writer, Josh Foreman, reflects. 

Foreman's profound love for cooking has shaped his plans to “work his life away in restaurants.” and he hopes to open his own restaurant in the future. Foreman comments on how “the culinary industry is so far from journalism. I can’t say that the writing helped me a whole lot. However...everyone in that class who has supported me has given me enough confidence in my plan to trust myself and my abilities and just do what makes me fulfilled.”

All of the wonderful senior journalists have found a place of belonging through the connections of the journalism students. They have been able to discover themselves through their writing and their connections with people, not only the other classmates but also the people in each article. 

“It's the connections that I've made through journalism, whether that'd be my classmates or people that I've interviewed over the past couple of years. I just gotta say my favorite thing is, you know, having that vulnerability and that connection with people through writing and their stories,” Dominic Leading Fox proclaimed.

Leading Fox plans to go to “CU Boulder to study political science and then go to wherever in the world to study law. Specifically tribal law, because I want to get involved with the groups nowadays that are in the field fighting for treaty rights and tribal land… That's what I want to do with my future, and of course, I want to keep writing and doing poetry and you know, I'd like to do some journalism here and there.”

Leading Fox comments on one important thing he has learned through journalism.

“Never stop digging. Never stop asking yourself questions; try and try to get closer to the truth, whether that means through journalism or creative writing,” Leading Fox emphasized. 

This concept has been an important topic throughout journalism. The senior journalists have learned the importance of thinking deeply about anything and everything. Through this introspection, they can learn more about themselves and the things they didn’t know about themselves before.

Another important concept editor McKenna Worsham has learned through journalism is that “Our words matter. I have learned that our words have power; if we want something to influence others, we have the ability to create space for a conversation and make real change happen.”

Worsham grew up as an OSU fan, but her love for journalism has prompted her to go to OU to study journalism and media. She commented on how “OU has an amazing journalism program and I wouldn’t have even looked into OU if it hadn’t been for this class.” 

The power of words is such a beautiful thing that each of the senior journalists can attest to. It is a way for students to express themselves and feel comfortable with their thoughts and feelings. 

“Journalism has allowed me to become more confident in who I am. Because we read our writing out loud, I've really started to let my guard down and not worry so much about what others think,” Katelyn Fisher remarked.

Fisher has been able to discover herself and feel comfortable expressing herself to the class, because of the safe environment the class provides. She has been able to learn and grow greatly through her experiences in the class. She plans to go to Southwest Christian College and pursue soccer.

Picture of Lizzy Petersen (left) and Katelyn Fisher (right) taken by Amber Stentzel

“Journalism has shaped the entirety of my high school experience by giving me an outlet. In journalism, not only have I learned more about how to write, teach, and edit, but I have grown increasingly confident in my ability to have complex conversations about art, media and literature,” another beloved editor, Atalie Sherman, beamed. 

Sherman plans to “attend college at OSU and receive a degree in pre-medical psychology, with the goal of attending OSU medical school.” She comments on how journalism has helped her be able to communicate clearly in a professional setting. 

All of these wonderful senior writers have learned a great deal from journalism, whether that be the people or the environment of the class, the lessons and concepts taught, the outlet it gave them or the way it helped shape them as a person. The seniors are sad to say goodbye, but they are excited to take what journalism has taught them into their next chapter.