For this week’s article, I wanted to reflect on my hobby of writing, something that is a big part of who I am and how I express myself. 
Growing up, I did little activities here and there, such as dance and softball. I really enjoyed these clubs and sports—I did those two specifically for a few years during elementary and middle school—but they didn’t really stick when I became a freshman. 
In high school, I joined a long list of clubs, initially in hopes to build my college application before senior year. I joined organizations like Interact Club, Environmental Club, Science Olympiad, and Student Government. These clubs provided me great learning experiences and allowed me to make amazing friends. However, what really had an effect on me was when, in freshman year, I took my first journalism class.
I had written small things here and there prior to that class, but I hadn’t really been exposed to specific journalistic content until then. It fueled a new interest in me and led me to join a Writers Club. In that club I got to explore more forms of writing, sharpen my skills and learn new methods, genres, etc. As a group, we would bring in our work each week and edit and critique them. It was tedious, but it gave me the inspiration and motivation to start writing in my own time, and work on personal projects. And writing then became a huge way I expressed myself, and provided me a medium to turn to if I was ever stressed or bored. 
In sophomore and junior year, I worked at the school newspaper at my high school, writing articles that ranged from local to national news and topics, furthering my experience in journalism. In my senior year of high school, I joined yearbook and got to do a variety of tasks such as writing, creating page formats, and even taking photos. The yearbook staff became like family to me and it was a great way to wrap up my high school experience. 
Coming to the University of Massachusetts Boston, I wasn’t sure that there would be the same resources and clubs for me here that would allow me to continue my writing, and it really worried me if I would have to let that part of my routine go. However, it was almost luck that I bumped into the Editor-in-Chief of the Mass Media at my orientation, Kelsey Hale. Kelsey explained to me what the Mass Media was and why I should join it, which did not take a lot of convincing. Joining the Mass Media has been one of the best decisions of my college career so far. It has allowed me to continue to express myself freely while also meeting some amazing people who I now call my friends. 
And as the semester is moving by quickly, I am excited for future projects in the Mass Media in the months to come and also in my personal writing life as well, which I hope to do bigger things in.