What is Common Sense? This was the first sentence of my college essay, which ended up getting me into my dream school.
I started in Common Sense as a freshman feeling unsure of my place in the class. I didn’t really know what to expect and was nervous about if this was the right environment for me, especially considering I wasn’t the most social and outgoing person. I had absolutely no idea that I just signed up for the best experience of my high school years.
The thing about Common Sense that makes it feel so special to me is how much of a community it is. Everyone is always supporting each other and even on the most stressful of days, I knew that when I entered room 242, I would be able to forget everything and just focus on the people in the room and the work that we were doing.
When I was assigned my first editorial position as a features editor, I was so excited and ready to contribute. My first press days were highly memorable as I was the last student to finish after working on my page for several hours. However, I never was alone as the backpage editor at the time, Maya Halpern, as well as the current Editors-in-Chief Kate Hawley, Elizabeth Mehler and Maria Sofranos were all there working with me to complete my page. This is just one example of how Common Sense is always there to support you.
Of course I can’t talk about Common Sense without talking about Ms. Starr, the adviser. However, Ms. Starr is not just the adviser, she is truly the heart and soul behind Common Sense. She is always there to listen and provide advice to anyone who needs it. Throughout the years, I have always known that I can come to her with anything and she will be there to guide me through it. She taught me everything I knew and ultimately shaped me into the person and journalist that I am today.
Ultimately, my favorite accomplishment from my time on Common Sense is not the articles that I have written or the work that I have done as online editor-in-chief but the skills that I have learned and the connections I have made, with students in my class, but also the people who I have interviewed. From every person who I have interviewed, I gained a new perspective on the topic I was writing about, whether I agreed or disagreed with it, they were all valuable and important.
During my time on Common Sense, I have truly come to realize the importance of journalism whether that is a major news outlet or a high school newspaper, each article written, whether it is a news, features or review, provides the community with important information. Especially now, in times of difficulties and the unknown, I know that the work that journalists do every day including at Common Sense is more important than ever and I am so excited to see what Common Sense will be able to accomplish next year.
