Someone grab me a tissue because this story was extremely bitter-sweet for me. My advisor pulled me aside as we story planned for our special Senior Issue. Worried, she asked if I had any ideas for a whole sports page. I suggested covering intramural, club and recreational sports in a college setting as so many kids play sports growing up and throughout high school. Thus, I knew it would be relevant to North. I figured it could be a cool angle to hear kids playing the sports for fun as opposed to something extremely serious like committing to a college for athletics. Redesigning a whole new page, I wrote my last, final sports column for North Pointe (that never gets less sad to say) taking readers through my journey with soccer. Soccer was my escape. When life got rough, I would go to the field and numb the pain. But now as I prepare to leave for college, my journey for the sport could potentially come to an unexpected end, something I am nowhere near ready for. Enjoy the throwback pictures and my experience with the most beautiful sport. I wouldn't trade the time put into it for the last 15 years for anything in the world. Although I am biased, this is not only one of my favorite pieces, but it was more sentimental and emotional to me. I am extremely proud of it.

Are you surprised? Naturally, I had to include another sports column. Although this one isn't very opinionated, it is still a story I am incredibly proud of. Months leading up to the Draft, I told my advisor that I called "dibs" on writing about the NFL Draft. I suggested that I could write on any angle, whether it was a recap or predictions for the upcoming season. Combining those two ideas, I produced the story above. I had to write this piece on extremely short time notice as our date to send pages was the story's deadline. Maybe it was just because I was happy to write about football, but I compiled the story rather quickly, including an array of statistics, recap and next season predictions. I genuinely think I could guide someone who didn't watch a second of the Draft. As previously mentioned, I dream to professionally write and report for ESPN some day, and this story provided me with a glimmer of this future. I hope this is just the beginning!

My partner and I had to cover the feature story on March Madness. Although I pitched the idea, originally I was not assigned to this story. Possessing a great deal of leadership and communication skills, my partner and I asked to speak with our advisor and requested to be put on the spread as we were the most passionate and educated regarding the topic. Impressed by our enthusiasm, she agreed to let us cover the spread. As far as weaknesses go, I believe the story is strong and covers a prevalent angle towards GPN, but it was challenging to have insightful student quotes. I think this struggle shouldn't be blamed on the interviewees because I honestly don't think I could provide great answers well before the actual tournament either. Overall, I am very content with how the story turned out and I loved the statistics teacher's incite. Adding a sense of mathematics, specifically the probability, was another cool way to keep the story relevant to GPN and academics.

Saying I was excited to cover March Madness related pieces definitely was true, however was much more work than I anticipated. At the end of the day, I knew I had to rise to the challenge and cover such an admirable topic. Despite the excitement for the tournament in March, several students neglect to acknowledge the lack of representation in woman's sports. So, I decided to enlarge this neglect through an eye-opening sports column. Scared to write on a semi-controversial topic, I professionally displayed the neglect towards the women's March Madness bracket and impressed myself. I was very proud that I managed to respect differing viewpoints and embed several statistics to resonate my thinking. Additionally, I was able to use my digital media skills to create the graphics for this video interview on Canva. I think this page displays my well-roundedness in design, writing, adaptability, networking, communications and digital media. I am extremely impressed I was able to pull off the might I say professional looking interview with Jamie Edmunds. Not only was I able to contact an expert source, but I also was able to use three different camera angles and graphics to make the interview as clean-cut as possible. Even Jamie Edmunds was impressed with our set up. This feature is a project I will never forget and am extremely proud of.

Saying I was excited to write this story is a major understatement. This might be the most excited I have ever been to write a story in this class. Growing up (brainwashed by my parents to be a huge Michigan fan), I attended several Michigan football games, developing a love and connection for the school and team. I've always been attentive of their latest recruits, statistics, rankings and more. Despite my vast knowledge on the team, I knew I would have to take on additional research to take my sports column from good to great. After a whole year of not having a sports column in the publication, I was honored to be the one to bring it back. I am not only proud of my work ethic and passion embedded into the story, but am so thrilled with how my team responded to it. They told me it blew them away and that I had to write on similar topics in the future. Even my advisor suggested I write another column on the neglect towards the women's March Madness bracket. As I take on future sports columns, I can't help but dream to professionally write and report for ESPN some day. Additionally, I was able to use my digital media skills to create the art for this story on Procreate. I think this page displays my well-roundedness in design, writing and digital media.

With a partner, I wrote on the wrestling team for the sports story. I chose to include this piece because it shows my dedication to a task at hand. Before taking on this story, I knew nothing about wrestling. I knew I was going to have to conduct some research for background knowledge on the topic and to not look clueless during interviews. However, I didn't let this obstacle stop me and overcame it. I even attended one of their meets to take note of the energy of the team, in addition to their own words and thoughts. I am proud of how this story turned out and think it covers several perspectives while staying on topic to the over-arching theme. In the future, some of the wrestlers initial answers were dull and rough, so I had to re-meet with them for follow up interviews. In the future, I should start with deeper questions and ask the interviewee to elaborate.

This story was like nothing I have ever written before. It began just like any other story, needing sources, developing a certain angle and so on. However, it quickly became challenging with obstacle after obstacle. Sources fell through and deadlines were barely met. My partners and I stayed focused on the task at hand and didn't let these challenges discourage us. In the future, I would like to initially have backup sources given the possibility of original sources falling through and better time management. Despite everything in the writing process seemingly going wrong, my team was able to put together a nice story that received many compliments. I am especially proud of the last minute idea to add a QR code for an interactive element.

The last time I wrote for the news briefs section, I had won a MIPA award, so naturally I was excited to be assigned to this section. I enjoyed writing for news briefs because they are short, sweet and staright to the point. However, I also like them because they challenge me to write succinctly and meet my word count exactly. Another challenge with writing briefs for this issue is the ideas pitched were incorrect and not happening. So, I sat through another pitch meeting and corrected the topics to be about things happening around North. Because of this switch, I had to quickly shift gears and change sources, but I am proud of my willingness and perseverance. My partner and I were able to pull together briefs many people called informative yet entertaining.

This was my comeback piece to North Pointe. As a section editor and now a veteran to the class, I was excited to be the leader in this piece and support my mentors as they tackled their first work for publication. Some of my strengths include my ability to be understanding and patient with my mentees, Kelton and Nick. They were so hard working and honestly made the story writing process so simple. Nick was willing to get the photos for art and tried several different settings with natural lighting. Kelton was more than willing to take constructive criticism and make the revisions.

This is an editorial I wrote for our first issue. This was really exciting to me because it was the first editorial I had ever written. I had no idea how to write an editorial, but was so passionate about the topic, I could not help but volunteer to do it. I shocked everyone for my enthusiasm towards writing an extra story, but I am so happy with the outcome. It is easily one of my favorite pieces I have ever written and I cannot wait to write another editorial. I think I did a very nice job of staying in the perspective of the whole editorial board and not getting carried away by my own emotions or feelings regarding school spirit. I also anonymously received a plentiful amount of compliments from people reporting back to my advisor and fellow editors. 

I chose to include this because it is a review I wrote with a partner. Together, we compared the TV show to the book. I focused on finding differences in the TV show and my partner focused on the book. We collectively wrote the review together. To do this, we brainstormed similarities and differences we both noticed. The strengths present in the review include that my partner and myself were succinct, yet able to provide many details informing the readers of why they should watch the show, read the book, and some differences to look out for. The hardest thing, or my biggest weakness in the writing, was that it was difficult to explain the differences found in the book without spoiling anything to those who haven't read it yet and wish to in the future. I learned from this piece that writing reviews are very enjoyable, yet take immense thought. You have to be mindful that you aren't rambling and that the information is written with the purpose of showing how you feel about what you are reviewing. For the future, I would like to write more collaborative reviews where we possibly have different opinions on what is being reviewed.

I chose to include this piece because of how fun it was to make. This is a review of the restaurant Estia Greek Street Food. The strengths present in this review include that I bought a variety of food as opposed to just one thing. I also made sure to include the prices for all the different items I bought and see if it was reasonable to the portion size I was receiving. A weakness present in this review is that I felt like I had so much to say but had to cut back due to my word count. I learned from this piece that reviewing things you are excited about leads to a well-written review, regardless of if you love or hate it. It shows more authenticity and a genuine feeling towards what is being reviewed. Since I loved writing this piece, in the future, I would love to review another restaurant or maybe compare restaurants with similar cuisines.

I included this piece because it means a lot to me. This was my first news story. I was initially very nervous to take on something so new, but my partner and I were ready to overcome any obstacles heading our way. I really enjoyed the format of the news briefs. The strengths of these briefs include that it is succinct and straight to the point. A weakness present is that I had trouble with my interviews. One of the people I had to interview was quarantined, so I had to keep emailing and be patient in order to get enough information. I learned from this piece that I liked writing news briefs. I also learned that I am good at it. I won a first-place MIPA award in this category. This was a pleasant surprise. A goal for the future connecting to this story is that I should continue to have a strong work ethic. With a strong work ethic, I was able to complete the story and feel proud of my work.

This is one of my favorite stories I have ever written, so I knew I had to include it in my portfolio. I was nervous to write such a big story but was excited to write about something that I love. I love the game Wordle, so I made sure to make the review upbeat and entertaining. The strengths of this review include that it views all sides of the game. It shows pros and cons. By doing this, I attained a full review since it reveals what is great about the game and what could be better.  A weakness present in the story is that I had trouble with my art. It was easy to design, but finding words relevant to school, the game, and North was tricky. However, in the end, it turned out to look professional and neat. I learned from this piece that I enjoy writing long stories, especially about things I am passionate about. A relevant goal for the future is that I want to continue writing reviews, as I find them fun and enjoyable to write, but I want to write one with a low rating since I have only written positive reviews.

I included this story because I enjoyed writing it. I worked on this story with one of my close friends. We work well together and were on the same page. We shared great communication and were able to complete the story before the due date. The strengths of this life story include that it possesses a nice flow and welcoming tone. We wanted to make the reader feel invited yet aware of the new changes coming to lunchtime. A weakness present in the story is that I had trouble with the artwork. The art, in the end, fits perfectly with the story and is relevant. However, it initially looked awkward and forced. I learned from this piece that I really enjoy working with a partner, especially someone I know I will work well with. We got along and helped push each other to come up with a story we were both proud of. My future goals related to this story are that I want to continue writing life stories and stories relevant to North. Notably, I would also like to continue writing with my partner since it made the work easy and fun.

I chose to write a your turn because it was something I had never done and had been wanting to do for a while. I enjoy interviewing people and liked the question. I liked how diverse the answers could be. I am proud of trying a new style of story, so I included it in my portfolio. My strengths include that I was able to maintain diversity ranging from different positions and grades at North, as well as different genders and races. My weakness present in this work was that I had everyone's photo, but the angle they were taken on was not consistent. So, I had to go back and find the people to redo some of the photos. I learned from this piece that you have to be relentless and patient if you want to complete a your turn. I had my story done in advance but had to redo some of the interviews and find a new person since they were already interviewed in a past issue's your turn. In the future, I would like to get the photos perfected first try and make sure to interview new people.