You are signing up for classes next year and you found out you have an open elective. You took Twenty-First Century Journalism, Photo I or Graphic Design last semester and really enjoyed the atmosphere, whether it be communicating with others, gaining confidence or improving your skills.  This leads you to question if you should take Digital Journalism for your first semester.

Digital Journalism, where you work on The Budget newspaper or the Red and Black yearbook, is a class that allows you to gain perspective and become part of a bigger picture. Those are only a few reasons to join the journalism staff.

If you are worried about what your place might be here on staff, journalism adviser Barbara Tholen assures that there are multiple jobs to accomplish.   

“We have people who are reporting and doing interviews, writing stories, and we have people taking photos, we have designers who design graphics or pages, we have editors who take charge and are leaders of the whole thing, I have people who are making ads, and I have people who are selling ads and making sure that we are literally able to pay our bills,” Tholen said. “There are so many different things.”

One of the biggest benefits of  participating in this class relates to college.

“I think it’s a nice extra recognition,” Tholen said. “I’ve certainly had kids do journalism because they do know it looks good on college applications. You will be seen differently compared to other people and your writing skills are going to be better because you have had time to practice that and it’s just going to be more precise. Journalism kids usually excel in college.”

Sophomore Kira Auchenbach, a writer on journalism staff, had quite a bit to say about joining and being a member of the journalism “family.”

“You get to meet lots of people and really set the stage for your reputation in the school, which is an important thing if you want to grow to do bigger things,” Auchenbach said.

Overall, being on staff is something that helps students grow into someone who is more confident than what they imagined possible.

 “It’s taught me how to be more professional,” Auchenbach said.