I’ve been drawing for nearly all my life, yet I never thought I’d be applying my ability to journalism. I remember watching videos of “trailers” in the journalism room at my high school back when I was in middle school. Although I thought it was neat, I never thought to apply to a journalism class in high school. However, four years later, I decided to take that lifelong love and passion for art in a new direction by joining the news staff of our school newspaper, The North Star. Since I had never taken a journalism class before, I was initially nervous about what to expect. While it took a few months to adjust to the newsroom, with the help of my friendly editors and staffers, I was able to fully immerse myself and enjoy creating illustrations and writing together. 

One of the most exciting challenges I faced was designing the North Star cover for the first time. Initially eager to get the perfect reference, I joined my friend and fellow news staffer Michaela Manfull to watch a roller derby game for the first time, interview the players, and take pictures for her story. It was unimaginably fun to sit above and watch a sport I knew nothing about. The players were lively, and it was a joy to talk with them while learning about the world of roller derby. For my debut cover, I captured the energy and excitement of the game in my artwork through a digital illustration of a smiley derby player and a background from the game itself.

 I typically only worked traditionally and painted portraits. Yet, now I find myself creating illustrations digitally and working with different styles, whether realistic or simplistic. I faced many hardships balancing the illustrations and stories I had in journalism with my other art classes and work in general, but working on the newspaper proved to be a blessing in disguise. It gave me a new platform to continue expressing myself creatively while making an impact through my art and writing stories about topics I loved on the side. I’ve learned valuable skills like visual communication in illustration and working with new programs such as InDesign to design pages. Through The North Star, I found a way to bring my art to life.