MAX SOTELO WINTER 2019
FIRST REFLECTION To say I have come a long way is an understatement. I have gone from having time to sit at my desk and watch the editors stress out over the state of their pages to being in that position with even more than just my page to worry about. My InDesign and Photoshop skills have greatly improved since I did my last portfolio, thanks to Mr. Adamson and tutorials on YouTube. If you asked me at this time last year to do any of the things that I do today, I would be greatly struggling. I have not only learned more about what goes into the composition of a page, but I have also somewhat improved my photography and writing skills. However, I still have a long way to go with photography. This semester, I have really gotten to know the strictness of deadlines. Mr. Adamson said something early in the semester that really struck a chord with me. He said, “I don’t understand why people procrastinate. If you have to get something done, just do it, it’s not that difficult.” This really made me realize that I need to just get things done when I have to. It feels so much better when things are done than to be stressing out about having to get something done. In the first issue, I admit, I was procrastinating a little bit. Almost every picture for my page got done the day before production day. However, now I realize that I need to get things done as soon as absolutely possible so that I do not stress myself out. I have been working as a team with Miah since freshman year. With our present role of online editors in chief, we know how to evenly distribute our responsibilities and realize that if one of us has too much on their plate with the print newspaper, that the other needs to step up and complete tasks for online. I have always made an effort to communicate
with the writers for my page and check in on them to see if they need help. I liked to do this often, and I found that it actually prevented articles from not getting done. If I had to do something differently, I would probably stop being too nice with people and telling them it’s fine if they do not have something done when I really need it. As an editor, I make sure to do extensive research on any statistics, facts, and sources used in articles for my page. I realize that when information is false, it not only looks bad on the writer and me, but it reflects poorly on the advisers and the publication as a whole. I learned what it is to have to be in ten different places at the same time. Ms. Hart will call an editor meeting at the back table and I’ll have online staffers asking me questions while having to edit some articles and help someone take a picture for my page. However if it sounds like I am complaining, I am not. I have realized that I love being a leader. Even though I try as much as I can not to procrastinate, I am in love with the rush of running around to get interviews at the last minute and having a million things to do. The stress is like a drug to me! And staffers asking me for help with any little thing makes me feel good. I think my biggest weakness this semester was that I was too nice with everyone. It’s good to be nice but there is such thing as being too nice and that was me. It ended up with me doing peoples’ articles for them when there was no way it was gonna get done for my page. Next semester, I am really going to start laying down the law with some people if they come to me with excuses. I am going to try to be more assertive and hold more people accountable for their choice to not do work.
SECOND REFLECTION
B
esides the pages I edited this semester, my most significant work was my spotlight on Mrs. Wells. I love doing articles like this where I get to do one long interview with someone and transfer the information I learned into an article. I guess I’m just really interested in biographies of people and stuff like getting to know someone. Last year, I did an article on Ms. Marsh after she unfortunately lost the election for state senate. I really enjoyed doing it about Marsh just like I enjoyed doing it for Wells. When I interviewed Ms. Wells, I had the help of Miah to get the interview arranged. At first, Ms. Wells was reluctant about the idea of having an article spotlighting her. I have never had her as a teacher, so this also made it hard to truly understand what I was going to make my article about. The most difficult part of writing this article was getting information to write about. I know that with these kinds of articles you have to come up with a lot of really good questions to get good quotes and to get more information for the article. Since I had never had Ms. Wells as a teacher, I did not know what she was like or anything about her besides what people have told me, so coming up with questions to
ask was a challenge. Thankfully, with the help of Ms. Hart and other people who have had Ms. Wells as a teacher, I was able to come up with some talking points for the interview and get things to put in my article. I think this is my best work this semester because I really enjoyed writing it and when I really enjoy doing something, it always turns out amazing. Before I interviewed Ms. Wells, I was afraid that there would not be anything interesting to write about and I would have to spontaneously come up with ways to make it interesting, however, she is actually a really interesting person with an interesting background. When I learned she started teaching in Italy and taught in Bahrain and Japan, I could not believe it! My favorite part of writing this article was getting to learn so much interesting information about Ms. Wells. One thing I would do differently next time is interrupting less. Listening to the interview recording, I found myself interrupting Ms. Wells when she gave answers to questions. This is a big no-no in journalism and I should know better for next time. I probably missed out on some more information and better quotes due to this.
THIRD SEPTEMBER This article, I was really interested in writing but it was supposed to be 800 words originally with Paul writing 400 words and I writing 400 words. However, this was the first issue of the year and a problem we had with this article is that Paul and I wrote the same things.
OCTOBER I had some trouble writing this article. I didn’t necessarily feel right writing this article knowing that I come from a position of privilege being a United States citizen with legal immigrant parents from Mexico. The immigration issues of today really make me feel lucky that my family’s fight to become citizens wasn’t nearly as hard as it is today for other families. Writing this article opened my eyes to how things could be different for me and made me want to help families who were facing separation.
REFLECTION A Mid ‘90s Night’s Dream
NOVEMBER Writing my review on A Midsummer Night’s Dream was an exciting new experience for me. I wrote something for Artzbeat on this play, and writing a review on what I wrote for Artzbeat was exciting. I liked seeing the play from a critic’s perspective rather than an audience member’s perspective. Usually when I attend Drama Club plays I go to see some of my friends, but this time I meant business and I was there to notice little details in everything from set design to the acting.
TEAR SHEETS SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER