GRACE KATHERINE
CAREY PORTFOLIO
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This semester flew by, one second we had a completely online paper and the next we were all hands on deck for production week. Although at first it was difficult to get back into the groove of things, I think I adapted well. The most important lesson that I learned is one that I’ve always been taught, but never really experienced: team work makes the dream work. It really showed this semester because everyone had to go from doing their articles to get a good grade to having to do their articles for a paper, because if it was missing, we would all know. I know that the lessons I have learned in the past few months will carry with me for the rest of my life. Being able to work together is an essential skill that I believe everyone should strive to attain. Every year I talk about how important it is not to procrastinate, and how if I had just planned ahead, I would be on track. But, at the end of the day, I am always going to procrastinate. An example of this would be right now. It is currently 8:14 p.m. on May 13, and here I am, writing my final project that will be due in only a few hours. I have been known to procrastinate so often that my friends and family started lying to me about the start times of things. A trick they learned from Susan and her favorite one to use on my dad. However, this works for me. I always get things done by the time that they NEED to be done, just as I am always where I am supposed to be at the time I’m supposed to be there. Whether my friends lie about the time something starts or not, I’ll always be there right on time, granted that is one or two minutes before the event is scheduled, but nonetheless, I’m accounted for. Over the past couple years I have learned that in order for everything to work, everyone needs to do their part. While I always do my part, it will more often than not be in the last minute. Typically, I work well with others. Well, for the most part at least. Okay so maybe I don’t al-
ways work well with others. But, a lot of the time it’s because I have a vision and I want everything to be just right. Similar to prom this year, I have a vision and I do not work well with those that don;t appreciate my vision. In conclusion, I work well with intelligent people, and since a majority of the kids in this class are intelligent, we all seem to work well together. In the future I might make a point to be more considerate, if the person deserves it, because I know that someday when I’m not at the top of the food chain, that I’ll want someone to be considerate of me and understand simple mistakes. While I do not think I learned anything new concerning the ethics of journalism, I do believe that I taught others about it. I think I did a strong job of remaining objective and teaching my classmates to do the same. This is so important to teach from the time someone enters the world of journalism because otherwise it can be easy to get sucked into writing what you feel everyone wants you to write. For the past three years I have been an editor, however, my role as Co-Editor-In-Chief is a lot different from my previous editor positions. For example, I do not have my own page, instead I oversee all other pages. The only pages that I had the opportunity to design this year were the senior section pages, which was actually really fun because they could be playful and color filled. While I miss being able to be creative with InDesign on every issue, I enjoy being able to help everyone with their layouts a little, especially new editors. It gives me a chance to share a little bit of my “vision” with everyone. Although this year is different from others, I am confident that we produced a quality paper and one that deserves to be awarded a crown from Columbia University. Next year, when I am no longer here, I hope to join everyone in New York to celebrate our win for the paper.
My
B E ST W oRK
Well, considering I only wrote a few pieces this semester, and a majority of them were lighthearted, I would say that my most significant piece was the Juice Smackdown. My other story was one about prom dresses and surprisingly the story that I wrote about juice was more entertaining. I think it was a more entertaining piece because I enjoyed writing about it. Not that I didn’t enjoy writing about pretty dresses and jewelry, but I enjoyed teaching about the health benefits of juices more. It is something that I believe in and therefore I believe I was able to deliver my thoughts clearly. Although I did not write a lot of articles, I believe my best work was influencing others articles. I helped a lot in the writing process, behind the scenes if you will. Occasionally I would directly edit the opinion out of articles because I’ve found that when I suggest it to the writers, they click through the edits and completely ignore the parts that would require them to rewrite parts of the article. But for the most part, I feel that most of the kids in the class are dedicated to producing quality work. I always try to help the less experienced writers and editors in any way I can, because I was appreciative when others in the grades above me helped me learn the ropes. Having the knowledge to help others is something that I greatly value, because I remember when I first started and could not even import a story or change a font without somebody else
helping me. I find that with InDesign, more than writing, I am more patient with people. I think this is because even I sometimes find myself with a simple design question, whereas when it comes to writing, the style tips are always at the front of my brain. Being able to watch the skill set of editors grow over such a short period of time was amazing and I am grateful that I was able to guide them, especially with the editor-inchief of Vogue or Time or National Geographic or whatever he’s into these days being on the opposite end of the country for the first semester. When I was looking over the finished product of the paper this week, I felt proud. Proud of all of the people who I’ve known since freshman year and all that we’ve been able to accomplish. Proud of how much we have all grown in talent over the past four years. Most importantly I was proud that we were able to learn and teach so that when we leave, everyone will know what to do and how to do it. I am so grateful for the opportunities that this class has given me. It has opened so many doors, doors that I had no idea were possible to open this early in life. My best work is nothing that I can show for on paper, but I know that I made an impact on this class in my time here. I know that people will remember me, maybe not because they liked me or because they thought I was really sweet, but because I taught them that no matter what if you want to succeed you have to work hard and get your “stuff” together.
SIGNIFICANT
PIECES
April, 2021, Style Juice Smackdown: The reason I selected this piece is because, well, it’s one of two things I wrote this semester. So, my range of stories to choose from was...limited. Last semester I think I wrote more, but none‐ theless, quality over quantity. I liked this because I felt like I was informing people about something that is beneficial for their health. I enjoy learning about healthy foods and juices myself, so I found it interesting to learn more about it through research.
May, 2021, Food Prom Dresses: I enjoyed writing this piece because I love everything fashion and pink. Prom dresses are two of those things. I had my dress custom made because for my one prom I wanted everything to be perfect, down to the last detail. Promzilla, if you will. So, when I had the opportunity to write all about prom dresses, I was so excited.
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S T E E May, 2021, Senior Section
May, 2021, Senior Section