Before classes resumed this year, the Iowa State Daily staff had a week-long training and to prepare for the upcoming year, learning new things about each other and journalism as well as bonding over pizza every day at lunch. 

One guest speaker was brought in to share her experience with the Iowa State Daily and her job now, and we wrote on a whiteboard all of the reasons why we chose to pursue journalism and eventually began working at the paper. 

Two phrases on the whiteboard were “failing chem” and “newspaper nerd.” My initial response to those two phrases clumped together at the top of the board reminded me of my senior year of high school. I was struggling with AP chemistry, and I absolutely fell in love with my newspaper class. 

Some of my best friends and family couldn’t see me doing anything else besides journalism, although it took me awhile to figure that out myself. 

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been writing and creating mini-novels for family members, drawing my own characters and providing my own dialogue. I was always buying and writing in journals, and I thrived most in English and language arts classes.

However, I have always enjoyed helping people. Because of this, I thought the only field that offered jobs with this aspect was in the medical field. While I’m not afraid to admit one of my favorite TV shows is Grey’s Anatomy, I am queasy around needles and feel faint at the sight of blood. That being said, I’m not really cut out for a job that requires you to interact with both on a daily —if not hourly —basis. 

Journalism combines my two passions: writing and helping people. Even as a sophomore here at Iowa State, I’ve gotten to meet some of the most interesting and wise people, explore topics that I wouldn’t have gotten to before, and share and write stories that spark a conversation with readers. 

I’m excited for a future in journalism, the creativity it allows me to show, and the fact that with every day comes something different. So do me a favor, and pick up your local newspaper. Whether it be USA Today, The Des Moines Register, or my favorite, the Iowa State Daily (although I might be a bit biased). You might learn something new, or re-discover an old passion. I know it’s why I still do what I do.