I have always loved to write, but sharing my writing was another story. I was always awful at taking criticism, and I could never finish my personal projects because I kept coming up with different ideas on how to structure or phrase something. 

The summer before my junior year I almost joined The Sunflower, but backed out at the last minute because I was convinced I wasn’t good enough of a writer, that it would be too difficult and I’d inconvenience everyone.

Then I met the current editor-in-chief, Allison Campbell, during a class we were both in.

Campbell had so much passion for The Sunflower, through the highs and the lows, which made me realize, “I want to be a part of that, even if I’m not ready yet.”

Turns out, I was ready.

It was difficult. I made huge mistakes during my time at The Sunflower; I missed deadlines and didn’t always do the best interviews.

But I had some of the best experiences out in the field and in the newsroom. I learned more about how to be an effective reporter and speaker than I did in any class. I finally learned how to take criticism and even truly appreciate it because I was seeing my stories improve in ways I wouldn’t have been able to by myself.

I have never felt more passionate about a piece of my writing than I have about my pieces for The Sunflower. Seeing them in print, this collaborative effort to spread information that connects me with my fellow reporters and classmates has made the hard parts more than worth it.

So, I want to thank The Sunflower, all the reporters, illustrators, photographers and editors — for pushing me to reach the stars, despite all the difficulties.