Hello, I'm Cheska!
I joined The Pinion during my freshman year, nervous and unsure of my ability in talking to others, questioning if my current level of writing is even good enough for The Pinion. Yet, over the years, I've found myself growing into a more confident version of myself. Going from my role as a reporter during freshmen year, to Editor-in-Chief (EIC) during Junior year. It dose not matter what role I take on, I strive to report the truth while connecting with the many lives in and outside of MHS.
My Story
Never in a million years would I have found myself in the role I am in today if it weren't for my 6th-grade homeroom teacher suggesting I should give newswriting a try. Growing up, I always had trouble talking to others my age and adults, the words seeming to be stuck in my throat. Yet, my homeroom teacher saw my passion for writing and storytelling. She happened to teach the newswriting class. So when the time came to choose classes for next year, she asked me to join her class. I was hesitant at first, but she told me to give it a try for at least one year. That is when the pandemic hit, and everything went online. Despite returning to in-person in 8th grade, I forgot about newswriting. When I saw newswriting as an Elective choice at McKinley; I wanted to give it one more shot.
As a freshman, the first time I set foot into The Pinion newsroom room I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. My first article "Yae or Nay to Optional Masks?", which is about how students felt about the option to wear masks at school. The interviews I did had to have the help of two of my friends in the class because I couldn't bring myself to talk to others I didn't know. When I finished writing the article, I felt proud of myself for actually completing it and uploading it to the website.
As I continue on, I would have many lows and highs. Many times wanted to give up. However, I pushed through knowing it would get better. During my Sophomore year, I was at my lowest. As I struggled heavily with my mental health. Despite this, I found an outlet in The Pinion. I wrote articles that raised awareness about various mental health topics.
Articles covering topics such as Suicide Awareness Prevention MOnth and the resources available for struggling students, helped many students like me. That is when I knew that the things I wrote have purpose and can help others. That is when I realized that I wanted to write things that could help others and change someone's prespectvie.
My junior year comes around, and the EIC during my underclassmen years graduated, leaving me to take on the role of EIC. I was a nervous wreck, not sure if what I was doing is right, worried I would not be able to meet deadlines, worried I would not be able to lead my fellow reporters. Despite my anxiety, I persevered and took on the mantle.
There were many rough patches in my time leading, times where I needed to step back, breathe and rethink. There were times I had to rely on the help of others when I knew I could not do something alone. Many times I had to admit I could not do this alone, acknowledge my fualts and learned to grow from those moments.
I learned how to be a better mentor to new reporters, how to be a better editor, and how to be a better person overall within and outside the classroom.