REACHING FOR THE STARS

by: Gian Clein Ladia

Once lived a boy who was always ambitious and determined to reach his goals. Everybody knew of his dream to become an astronaut, considering that he would frequently talk about space and how he wishes to explore its greatest depths Sure, it was something to admire, but almost nobody was supportive of his choices Repeatedly, they would tell him to be “realistic”, but if realistic meant not being able to pursue this dream, it was not in his vocabulary.

Ever since he was a kid, he had already been dreaming of touching the stars He never let the negativity of others affect his hopes Even his own family had discouraged him from this chosen career path, but he strived and worked harder than ever to prove them wrong, to prove all of them wrong Until one day, he did

In the blink of an eye, he was in space, admiring the stars from up close like he always wished, replaying all of the moments he was told to stop aiming for the impossible. He smiled, satisfied with himself.

"Today, he is now one of the most well-known, accomplished astronauts out there," He ended with that Charlie, a single father of one, looked down to his daughter

"Wow," she mouthed out of disbelief. Mae, a 9year-old girl, brunette, felt the same way about the sea Charlie laughed, tucking his daughter into bed while undoing her braids "That man sounds a lot like you dad, do you know him?" she asked, genuinely curious. "I am that man." He replied, amused by the face his daughter just made.

Charlie had always seen himself in his daughter He was aware of her love for the sea ever since she was young and showered her with the kind of support he never received from his own parents He knew that one day she would be telling her own story to her future children "Good night." he tells his daughter, leaving a kiss on her forehead.

I was in 5th grade when I first compete in the DSSPC Back then, I really felt like I was a driver in a race; with my unfastened seatbelt, the car already started to move in a quick pace In simple words, I was not ready that time I did not know what I got myself into Especially that I only like reading and writing fictional stories I literally don't know anything about Copyreading and Headlining Thankfully, I was mentored by one of the great adviser, I must say, during my elementary days Together with my co-journalists I attended workshops and seminars every weekends to enhance my skills in editing Then to my surprise, I won 8th place in the contest Even now, I still consider it as pure luck

But as time flies I became more dedicated and passionate on what I do that related with journalism I also started writing poems and post it in a social media platforms which has already over 16,000 reads and 230 votes

Writing an effective news is one of the difficulties I encountered when I joined The Scroll I do not only want to write about certain events, but I also want to make an impact to my fellow Rizalians by using my own voice through writing It was also challenging for me to be the director of our Media Organization Dispatch But I really enjoyed guiding the reporters especially when they were about to interview the guests and students in a program In addition, publishing our issue on time is really hard, specifically when other staffers do not follow the deadline Nevertheless, we still successfully deliver all news to every Rizalians

What I have learned in this journey is to make sure that when you joined in this kind of organization you should have the strong will to do all the work needed with excellence You should have the dedication and passion of a writer, because our words can either plant gardens or burn forests

I started being a campus journalist two years before going to JRU I have gained experiences joining inter-school competitions I realized that as I went to JRU, I want to still pursue journalism

My journey in joining The Scroll was not easy at first On my freshman year, I was not accepted into the organization and was very disappointed Subsequently, I was not discouraged trying out again, that’s when I got in during 8th grade as a English News Writer Year after, I got accepted again, but now as Sports Editor Now, I am writing this evaluation as a Managing Editor for this school year Isn’t crazy how I keep growing over these years? That was actually my goal, to discover new sides of me and to improve my skills as a writer

This year, my leadership skills were tested It is easy for me to write an article within a deadline; however, it may not be for my clubmates As the managing editor, I must help manage the progress of each writers to meet the deadline

The last journalism competition I joined was back my elementary years I longed so much to join again Fortunately, this year we joined the DSSPC which turned out to be an incredible experience for us

I joined The Scroll to explore my writing capabilities

A struggle I encountered in the club is figuring out how to deliver news clearly to the community At times I would also struggle with deadlines as well My most memorable experience in The Scroll is being able to interview a renowned singer as a Media Organization Dispatch reporter One thing I learned during my time in The Scroll is that it is best to write with passion It allows you to dedicate time and effort in order to put out a quality output for the paper

Every year, I always tell myself to try and explore more new things to grow, so I wanted to join different clubs every year, which is why I joined The Scroll It's one of my objective to get out of my comfort zone to help me develop more as a person, and by that, I tried The Scroll as my nonacademic club By selecting different clubs every year, I can find what hobby I am good about Since I was new to this club, I was feeling eerie because I'm not really professional when it comes to handling the school paper I was also feeling left out because my partner is in senior year and I'm not good with handling social relationships/talking to new people But I tried and gave myself hope so I surpassed it The most memorable is of course, being a layout artist It makes me feel delighted because I contributed something in my high school years I always try to find and edit different kinds of pleasing layout, and I'm happy that my own design is represented this SY: 22-23

What I learn is that you always have to responsible

Whatever The Scroll position that you got, you always have to accomplish your work on time because The Scroll if the most important club in JHS

My mother took up journalism as her pre-law course, so I wanted to give journalism a try too Other than that, I have dreams of becoming a novelist, but I thought I'd also give nonfiction writing a try Balancing my academics and my extracurricular activities was definitely a challenge There is a slight deficiency of dependable students in our section, so the diligent few have to shoulder most of the responsibilities I overcame these struggles by adjusting my schedule and improving my time management The thrill of seeing my name published on a byline for the first time is definitely a memory I won't forget!

I gained experience in working in a publication, albeit minor I also learned to manage my time better and to cooperate with others

I joined The Scroll because I liked literature I overcame time management by having a separate schedule for regular school work and Scroll work The time we celebrated the publication of the first issue by having a pizza party was one of the memorable experiences I had I learned how to be an efficient and creative writer