By Nissrine Majdi

About nine months ago, I came to this class as a foreign exchange student who was interested in journalism, but with poor writing, interviewing and design skills. I was so happy the class was offered. It was the opportunity I always waited for, so I took it, not knowing what to expect. 

At the beginning, I regretted it. Not knowing anybody and having poor English back then made it hard for me to fit in. I even thought about changing the class, but for some reason I didn’t, and I thank God that I didn’t. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. In the first month we learned the basics about designing, writing and interviewing skills, but even in this very moment, we still learn from each other through practicing those skills. There was so many times where I said that I just couldn’t do it, but with Ms. Pierce, there were no excuses. You were expected to learn about it and do it. It was a business.

A lot of teachers were being lenient with exchange students, but she wasn’t; we were treated like everybody else, and that is definitely what made us learn so many things from this class. I still remember the day we went to Tampa to the University of South Florida. I had signed up for the short story competition but once I read what I had to write about, I freaked out, and decided to give up. As always, giving up simply was not an option according to Ms. Pierce. So I did it. I wrote a four page story and I submitted it on time. True, I did not win, but I’ve learned a lesson – never say I can’t, and never give up. We also learned how to be a part of a society. We were all divided into groups working on different pages with different assignments. All of those groups, the editors and Ms. Pierce were all part of one class and one yearbook. We couldn’t be lazy and not do the job because that meant not only letting ourselves down but the whole yearbook staff. 

This class has taught us more than just the technical skills of interviewing, writing, designing, taking pictures, etc. We learned that behind every piece of copy, every design, and every picture, there was an interesting story about a human being and about life. We were taught how to deal with both, in the proper way. See beyond what is superficial and focus on the INSIDE.

Nissrine Majdi completed a journalism course at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, FL where seniors produce a school newspaper and yearbook. Journalism teacher, Stacey Pierce, chose Nissrine’s piece as one of three essays reflecting on the course. The essay was shared with the District Superintendent, District Board Member Representatives, and the entire staff of the school.