April 2014. Second floor. 7:15 a.m. High 70s. Sunny.

I am walking with my friend Anna, making our daily laps around the second floor. We approach a turn and begin our transcendence of the ramp, leaning slightly back and plodding slightly louder.

“Hey look at this,” Anna says. “The Central Times… we should apply!”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I just joined Sensory P.E., and with soccer, basketball and class council I don’t know if I’ll have time for another club.”

“Well, you got three weeks to apply. Let’s just see.”

Anna and I grab applications and continue our walk. On our fingers we count out the number of activities each of us are involved in. We share a sense of exhaustion yet pride in our involvement as freshmen, I mean we have three more years of this!!

Despite my initial hesitation, three weeks pass and I decide to apply because why not? I might as well try. As I’m walking to turn in my application, I shuffle through my bag and discover that it is not there. I sit on the floor and (I’m sure very comically) dump out the entire contents of my backpack. Alas, there is no luck. I walk away and think, Well, maybe it’s a sign that it’s not meant to be.

I continue making my morning laps and enter first hour medieval history. Anna sits two seats in front of me and turns around, asking if I applied. I shrug my shoulders, telling her that I lost my application. Without a second thought, Anna reaches in her bag and hands me a blank application.

“I decided not to apply,” Anna says. “Just fill out mine.”

I decide to apply once again and eventually turn in my new application. The next day, I walk into room 218 for the first time for an interview. The then-Editor-in-Chief, Shelby, drinks Starbucks and asks me questions about my involvement in the school and experience with journalism. I have no prior journalistic experience. As soon as I leave the interview I text my mom, telling her that I don’t think I made it.

A week passes and I forget about Central Times completely. I reason that there were more qualified applicants who got the position over me and I’ll have more free time without Central Times so I am not worried.

However, one day, in my Intro to Business class, we begin to watch a movie on Steve Jobs. I will never forget this day because it signals the beginning of my life being changed. We are about halfway through the hour when a girl walks in holding an envelope. The teacher hands the envelope to me and the entire class’ heads swivel, curious to see what I have received. I soon realize that the letter is from none other than the Central Times. Great, I think. Now the entire class gets to see that I didn’t make it. To my surprise, however, the first word on the Central Times stationary says “Congratulations!”

Two years later, I am so thankful I took that risk. I am so thankful I decided against logic and went with my gut because in the

Central Times I have discovered my passion. I have learned that this is the career I aspire to achieve and that there are real life jobs that include writing. Over my journey, I have won awards, I have made mistakes and I have found myself. Now, as I look out on the year ahead of me, I have see nothing but excitement. I will now be the person in charge, the person who interviews other scared freshman like me. And hopefully, I can encourage other freshman to find their dreams and passions within the welcoming walls of room 218.