For my past four years at South, each year has always been a bit different. My schedule was different, the people in my classes were different, my teachers were different, but one thing always remained the same, and that is my involvement in The Tower staff.
It all started with taking honors journalism freshman year. I was able to develop a love for journalism and see that the Tower newspaper was anything but boring. Tower definitely provided me with a lot of perks for the past four years.
I am forever grateful for the computers in the back room which allowed me to online shop, of course once I finished my class work.
I’m also grateful for the fall and spring MIPA conference field trips that allowed me to miss two quality days of school. I definitely learned more about the “real world” wandering around Lansing with Julia Ambrozy and Riley Ptashnik, avoiding homeless people while trying to get a Plain bagel from Einstein’s, than I would have sitting in class. Aside from the fun times on the field trip, I was able to see more unique sides of journalism and attend classes ranging from photography to sports broadcasting.
I also want to thank Tower for allowing me to develop lifelong friendships such as Julia Ambrozy, Maura Shine and so many more staffers.
Now, I would like to say a few words about my fellow staffers I met along the way that made my experience great.
Maura, we met in honors-j freshman year and we have seemed to bless Edge with our presence in the same Tower class ever since. Thank you for always helping me find sources to interview, and for always understanding the importance of taking a personal day even if I have too many absences and my teachers would be annoyed.
Julia, we’ve been friends since middle school and became even closer when we had Tower together sophomore year. Thank you for attending every single MIPA conference with me, and always eating chicken tenders at the Nut House during our lunch break. Thanks for the endless laughs at Friday deadlines, and always sneaking across the street to Farms when Imran or Anne weren’t looking. Thanks for always being one of the last people to finish your page at Monday deadlines, although Anne and Imran did not appreciate staying late, I enjoyed our extra time spent together.
I can’t forget to mention one of the most important staffers and that is Michael Hamilton aka “Big Mike”. You’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill next year; however, I am confident you will be able to do so. I can’t wait to see all the great things you will accomplish next year as a web editor.
I never thought taking honors-j freshman year would open up so many opportunities for me. I have always considered myself more of a math and science person when it comes to school, but Tower has allowed me to find my underlying passion for writing. From spending Fridays after school and late night monday deadlines in room 142, I was able to grow and develop my journalistic skills in ways I could have never imagined.
Looking back at my past four years on staff, there were a lot of amazing memories that I will forever cherish. I’ll never forget the late night monday deadlines spent designing pages, attending the MIPA spring conference to see my staff win a Spartan Award, and receiving the funniest paper plate awards at our end of the year banquet.
As this column comes to an end, so does my time at South, although it is bittersweet to say goodbye, I am glad that I could spend my past four years as a member of the Tower staff. Thank you Edge, Anne and Imran, and all other staff members for making my last year so memorable.
Luv, Lauren Nemeh