I fell in love with writing in third grade. I’d fill journals with stories about sword fights, magic and sacrifice.
I typed my first book in what was known by my family as the computer room. My parents owned two computers, which lived in the dedicated, sacred space. The monitors were slate gray and bulky — the keyboards matched. When the computers were running, they breathed so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think.
Currently, I’m typing this on my 15” MacBook Air. I can hear windchimes and the sound of a faraway train. My laptop is silent and small. The only similarity between my parents’ old computers and mine: I’ve stuck with gray.
I didn’t find my true passion until college. An extra credit opportunity turned into a three-year pursuit. In April 2024, I’ll graduate with a degree in communication. My studies focused on a specific type of communication, a specific type of writing: journalism.
At Brigham Young University-Idaho, they don’t just teach about journalism, they talk about the journalism ideal. Ethics is a journalist’s first lesson. We strive to learn the skills necessary to write simply, truthfully and without bias.
Journalism is talking to people, it’s reading and researching, it’s experiencing life, it’s sharing your experiences with the world. Journalism connects us to people and events that are far away. It connects us to history.