Three years at Haven. I finally tried the school pizza last week.
During lunch time, I have always walked past it without really thinking about it. It always sat there every day, predictable, with the same line of people who got it. I never really had a reason to try it.
As I begin to leave high school, something motivated me to try it. So I finally got a slice, mostly out of curiosity. It was exactly what I expected: not bad, not great, just okay.
But I’m still glad I tried it.
Forgive me if I begin to sound preachy, but looking back on my high school years, I realize that high school is full of things like that pizza. Some opportunities sit quietly in front of you, waiting, looking average most of the time, and because of that, it’s easy to just walk past them.
For a while, that’s what I did.
I did not join high school with a clear sense of direction, but I knew I wanted to be a part of something. So I decided that I would join the yearbook team. I had an interest in photography, so joining felt like a no-brainer.
Then, a small decision came that did not seem super important at the time. I went on a trip to New York City to document the Cantata choir. After that, with some motivation, I showed up to a Panther Press meeting because I thought it might be interesting to share that story.
Me deciding to write about the trip was no big transformative realization; it felt like trying the pizza. It was something that I just decided to do. Panther Press became something that I kept coming back to.
Being a part of my high school newspaper gave me a space to grow in so many ways that I did not expect. I’ve learned how to communicate, ask better questions, and actually listen.
I’ve learned how to lead a team, problem solve, take initiative, and create something meaningful for my school community without a letter grade on my transcript.
That’s not to say that I did it all alone. I’m so grateful and blessed to have a strong support system of teachers, administrators, peers, and community members who understand the importance of learning in an extracurricular environment like the Panther Press.
Looking back now, there never was a single defining moment that stood out; it’s the fact that I decided to push myself and try something new that was just there. It’s extracurriculars like Panther Press that don’t really announce themselves; they act more like open doors. You just have to be the one who walks through it, and keep showing up.
Opportunities don’t always look like much at first, as they don’t always come with guarantees. They don’t tell you what you’ll get out of them, though; if you give them a chance, you will find that out later on.
It’s easy to overstate things in hindsight, but the truth for me is that Panther Press was an important part of my high school experience, but not the only one. I was lucky to have time, encouragement, and support from the people around me who made it worth sticking with.
Haven is such a unique and supportive community, and that’s a big part of why experiences like Panther Press are even possible.
Panther Press gave me perspective. Journalism is such an altruistic act that forces you to look beyond yourself. It forces you to listen more closely and recognize that your experiences aren’t necessarily the ones that always matter. Being a part of a news staff has changed how I view things and think as a person.
That is something I will always carry with me.
But I’m coming back to the pizza — it didn’t change my life, but I’m still glad I tried it. Value is based on the act of choosing something to try, showing up, and not letting something pass. It’s not always in how remarkable something is.
Panther Press was that choice to me, and it made more of a difference than I expected.
