I am Rachel Baker, a senior at Padua Academy. I have taken journalism classes for my entire high school career with a focus in broadcast journalism. I have won multiple awards for my work in the Television and Production class, commonly referred to as “PATV”, as well as the Multimedia Journalism class, referred to as “ Padua360”. I am very passionate about journalism, and it has taught me a lot about myself and the world around me.
During my freshman year, I took the Basics of Broadcasting and Communication Arts classes. Basics of Broadcasting focused on video production, whereas Communication Arts generally covered writing, photography, and video production. These classes sparked my interest in journalism. I had many options for my future in the field since I have always been a strong writer. However, once I started making video packages in Basics of Broadcasting, I knew PATV was the best option for me.
With that being said, I really wanted to work on my writing before I dove into PATV. Therefore, I enrolled in Padua360 in my sophomore year. There I learned how to structure stories and conduct interviews with people outside of my classroom. My work was published on the school’s online school newspaper. This class was a beneficial step for me because it enhanced my writing skills, making me a more sophisticated and sharpened writer. However, it made me realize how much I missed creating video news packages. I decided that my junior year would be completely dedicated to PATV.
It was a great year of growth for me. I found what I was truly passionate about- telling people’s stories and discussing issues on a bigger platform: TV. I wanted to get the “scoop” on whatever was happening at Padua, as well as find hidden gems throughout my community to cover. I was producing many news packages, along with learning tech and writing scripts to read when I anchored the live daily shows we produced every morning. Because of my great year in PATV, I went into my senior year as a leader of the program.
Senior year has been bittersweet, however, nothing has changed my love for journalism. Nothing makes me happier than finding a great story to share, or orchestrating the perfect news package. However this year, I spent more time helping my peers with their stories and packages rather than creating my own. Nonetheless, I have really enjoyed mentoring my peers as their leader, and helping them find their niche, just like my leader did for me last year.
Journalism isn’t just a passion of mine that I have come to love over the past four years; it has also taught me many lessons about both the world and myself. I have learned that everyone has a story that is waiting to be told. If for some reason no one is willing to share, look deeper because there is always a story out there. The search may be difficult, but it is worth it in the end. Journalism has taught me how to come out of my comfort zone, go out in the world, and find that story. Most importantly, it has taught me that the most interesting story is my story, and I decide how it is told.