Editor Ruby Go stands in front of the Voice newsroom. As a WTMC student, she will graduate on May 20 with her high school diploma and an associate degree in journalism. Robin Wyllie-Scholz | Washtenaw Voice
By Ruby Go
Editor
Of all the expectations I had for high school, I never thought it would have been like this.
The movies and T.V. shows made it look so fun and carefree. I thought I would make lots of new friends and party with them all the time and go to football games and school dances—not that I’ve ever been that outgoing or social, but I genuinely thought that somehow, someway, entering high school would flip a magic personality switch inside me and I’d become that fun, popular person I always wanted to be.
To no one’s surprise, that didn’t happen. As I near the end of my senior year, I’m still socially awkward. I made one real friend in ninth grade and lost touch with most of my middle school friends. I never went to a football game. I never went to a school dance. Instead, I dealt with a pandemic.
Frankly, I don’t know what possessed 10th grade me to apply to work at the Voice. It was spring of 2021, and after a year’s worth of virtual isolation, I had never been more timid. I had gotten so used to doing everything from the comfort of my home, from my own precious little bubble where I could stay in my pajamas during class and keep my camera off and pretend I didn’t exist.
It scared me, but I knew I was going to have to pop that bubble eventually. Even though I was interested in journalism and had done well in a class, the thought of actually joining the student newspaper and becoming part of a team sounded crazy to me. But, I did it anyway, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Aside from all the lessons about journalism, being at the Voice has taught me to put myself out there (which, now that I think about it, is also applicable to journalism). It’s made me more confident in myself and what I’m capable of. I no longer worry so much about my social ineptitude, because my accomplishments speak for themselves. In a statewide contest last year, I was named Student Journalist of the Year. Last summer, I was chosen to be an apprentice for the Detroit Free Press, where I had a story published. And recently, I received two awards for my photography, a new passion of mine.
Working at the Voice is probably the closest you can get to real world experience while you’re still in school. Before working here, “real world experience” used to scare me. “Real world experience” is what would pop the bubble I sheltered myself in. But now, I seek out that experience. In fact, I’m so eager for it that I’ve decided not to attend a four-year university after I graduate. I’ve learned and grown more at the Voice than I have from most of my classes (emphasis on most), which is why I want to start working as soon as I can. I personally feel restricted by school, and I would rather look for a job than be protected by the walls of a classroom.
I also want to emphasize that the Voice is not just a place for aspiring writers. If you are interested in photography, videography, graphic design, illustration, and/or web design and development, I strongly encourage you to check us out (you can get paid!). Come to our weekly Monday meetings at 5 p.m. in SC 109 or via Zoom.
I won’t be there anymore, so you’ll miss out on a lot. You’ll have to make do with the next editor, Grace Crandall. She’s ok, I guess.
Laura Chodoroff | Washtenaw Voice