To want to major in Journalism is like wanting to major in Mathematics; you have to love the classes that some cannot stand. Writing has to be a passion, just like math has to be a passion. You can't just pretend.
Most journalists have always been bound to be writers, whether they knew it early on or not. It's noticeable in the way that they speak, in the way that they don't mind being assigned loads and loads of essays to write, and in the way that they look at certain situations. Not to be stereotypical, but it may even be noticeable in the way that they're glued to their MacBooks in every Starbucks you walk into. Journalists are artists, like how a painter makes art with paint, a journalist makes art with words. It’s a unique passion to have but it’s one that definitely deserves some appreciation.
Coming into college, I knew exactly what I wanted to major in. I was in no way a scientist, I was not an engineer, and I was definitely not a mathematician. Journalism was something I had been eyeing since the beginning of high school. Coming from a family of cousins who majored in stuff like computer engineering, pre-med, and aerospace engineering, I knew I was definitely making a black sheep decision to go into Journalism. But, even just attempting to excel in the subjects that they were good at was just comical. I cannot understand calculus, let alone rocket science. It also didn’t help that I was the only person in my family to choose Washington State University, while most of them had picked the University of Washington path, but that’s a whole different story. Unlike them, though, my absolute favorite classes were the ones I got to write stories and essays in.
Every time someone told me a story, or I watched something on the news, in my head, I would create a headline for that story, as if CNN was going to call me to be the head writer to cover that event. Even in those cliches of people staring out of the window during a rainy car ride and listening to sad music, pretending they were the star of a music video, I was one of those people to be staring aimlessly as I was writing up an entire screenplay in my head. Writing was something that I was doing 24/7, even if it was subconscious. Not to forget, I was the queen of opening up Microsoft Word, just to use Word Art to create a title for my upcoming novels, which I would never end up finishing because I would open up a new window as soon as I thought of a different novel to write.
I was also lucky enough to have parents who have always been extremely supportive of my passions. Every time I wrote an essay for school, they were always excited to read it. When I spoke at my high school graduation, they helped me prepare and seeing how proud they were of me made all the stress and anxiety worth it. It was intimidating having grown up around super smart whiz kids like my cousins, but my parents always made an effort to notice my strengths in writing so that I never felt like I was a loser or that my qualities were insignificant compared to the qualities that others had. Not only is it important to believe in yourself, but it's important to believe in those who believe in you.
One of the best parts about being a writer is being inspired by other writers. When I was little, Shel Silverstein’s wit and talented mash-up of words were traits I dreamt of obtaining. Every year for Christmas, my parents would gift me a book of his and I would read the entire thing cover to cover, upside down and backward before even thinking of opening another gift. Shel had me hooked. As I grew older, writers like Mary McGrory and Dorothy Thompson were women who inspired me to continue with writing and really strive to succeed. Both trailblazers, for not only women but for the world of writing and media, they were not afraid to speak their mind and found a lot of success doing so. Mary McGrory was not afraid to raise controversy and did not care what people thought of her opinions or her columns. Having even been on Nixon's enemy list, Mary thrived off of making bold moves. She was candid and genuine, which is a type of confidence in writing that inspires me every time I think of a topic to discuss. Dorothy Thompson, another woman who was definitely not afraid to speak her mind, stood up for women’s suffrage and was even the first journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany after speaking up against Adolf Hitler. She was named the second Most Influential Woman in American and the fearless lady was well deserving of that title.
Going into Journalism can be really scary, I second guess myself every time I start to write a new article for the week. You have to not be afraid to be vulnerable and you really have to fight through that fear of people criticizing and judging your writing. You also have to accept the smirk and eye roll you might get from some people when you tell them that you're a journalism major. I've been in college for just a semester so far and I've already gotten loads of comments like, "journalism is a dying industry, it's all about Twitter now!" and "Pick a real major, writing isn't a job." But it's comments like that that only make me want to write more. Journalism is not a dying industry. There are so many layers and so many different paths you can take within, it that there is no way to deem it as a dead end. Just because I won't be a doctor or an engineer does not mean that I can't be successful. Journalism is something that I love and something that has always given me that drive and that power to express myself. The more passionate you are, the more success you'll find. Do not be afraid to pursue something that you love.
"The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness."
-Dorothy Thompson
