“Is your story done?”

“No.”

“Have you taken the photos of the event last Wednesday?”

“Oh my gosh, I was supposed to take those?”

“Do you remember what I told you last Monday about your deadline?”

“Nope. What was it again?”

The latter quotes are all examples of the work ethic in my journalism class toward the end of the year. However, one group in particular gives up mid-November on stories and expected duties in the newsroom. This group is a group of seniors, with the first symptoms of senioritis hitting hard.

Scholastic journalism is my one pride and joy: I have been a part of it since my freshman year and have had consistent participation in it ever since. Nothing truly compares to a well-polished story being published with a photo to accompany it. Above all, during my years as a high school journalist, my team has earned a decent amount of accolades, as well as national recognition for the online news website that our journalistic blood, sweat, and tears go into.

As the end of the year approaches faster and faster, and my junior year comes to a successful end, I hope that as a senior I do not give up on my most prized possession: journalism. I swear to never miss more than three deadlines. Let’s be real–missing zero deadlines is close to impossible, especially with the toll of other classes and responsibilities to be taken care of. Being a full time high school student means balance between sleep, grades, and friends.

As a senior, I swear to not let my job become a “dirty word” according to my adviser. Jobs and journalism are the two deadly “J” words. My newly-acquired job is a blast to participate in, however, I have already let the paying world have me at my best as I have missed more deadlines at the end of this year than all of my scholastic journalism years COMBINED. I just hope that when senioritis plays a role in the mixture of my job and journalism, I will not forget the one class that makes me a happier (and more stressed out) me.

I have always taken a large amount of pride in the role I played in my community as not only a staff writer, but also the editor-in-chief of my school newspaper. I hope that I can continue to stay humble, even as senioritis’ begins to encompass me.