Click. Click. Click. However loud my shutter may be in the classroom, in the theater, or even in the frigid rink, it is always capturing a story to be told.

 

Humans have been telling stories with visuals for tens of thousands of years. Technology has molded how storytelling takes form. From the charcoal and ochre markings scratched onto cave walls to the monochrome newspaper that evolved into glossy magazines bursting with pictures and perfume samples into websites with hundreds upon hundreds of well-researched articles—modern innovation now allows us to express stories in a number of different ways. But the fundamental purpose of this media hasn’t changed. People still just want to be heard. 

 

In my junior year, soon after I posted photographs I took of a hockey game, a player came up to me to thank me for taking pictures of their game, and then another did the same, and then another. Underclassmen approached me in the halls to tell me they liked a graphic I designed. Teachers would constantly tell me how impressed they were with the work I did, whether they saw a social media post, a page spread I designed, or an online article. I was surprised by all of it—I never imagined the impact I could have on so many people through my creativity.

 

But the Instagram posts that helped me make that same impact weren’t posted to my personal account, but to the social media of The Huron Emery newspaper—our school’s student-run publication. After submitting my first assignment to the newspaper—a promotional post about the newest print issue—the Editor-in-Chief at the time, Vish Gondesi, reached out to me to invite me to work with him on the social media platforms of The Emery. 

 

The Huron Emery’s social media platforms became my canvas. Every time I stepped into Room 4203, “the newspaper room,” I was offered a new opportunity to exercise my creativity and paint another brush stroke on the canvas The Emery provided me with—whilst still preserving the purpose of journalism and spreading the truth.

 

As we continued to collaborate on Instagram posts, I got to see the true extent of The Emery’s influence. It wasn’t exclusive to the readers of our printed paper. It could reach beyond, to our social media followers and the diligent patrons of our website. I became a part of media’s expansion beyond the cave wall markings and the printed ink. Journalism flourished into more than likes on an Instagram post or comments under an article. I was honored to become a cog in media's machine that informs readers of the truth and spreads the authentic stories of the world we reside in. As storytellers, the work we did in Room 4203 had a real impact on the school and the community of those who attended it. 

 

But it wasn’t easy. Creating content meant hours of work away from home, getting out of my comfort zone, hours of reviewing and refining and making changes and hours of intricate wrangling with InDesign and Photoshop to refine the content to connect to our audience. Through these countless hours, I pioneered the role of the first-ever Social Media Editor-in-Chief, a role that gave me the freedom to explore my creativity and leave a lasting impact on the community around me. With this experience, I plan to pursue communications and data analytics in hopes of preserving my place in media’s endless expansion. 

 

At The Huron Emery, my identity as a visual storyteller has been crafted with every snap of the shutter and with every click of a button to be empathetic, informed and always in the pursuit of the truth.