Throughout my four years at John Adams my only regret is not joining The Tower sooner. 

The past two years in the class have not only taught me what it means to be a journalist, writing style and all, but what it feels like to inspire and uplift others with the work and writing I put out.  

Joining newspaper junior year was not at all what I had intended to do. Originally wanting to join the yearbook, my schedule got switched and newspaper it was. Through the first couple days of the class Mr.N owicki encouraged me to see it through and give writing a chance. My lack of speaking up and nervousness of a new teacher kept me in the class, which I later learned to love and cherish. Ever since then, Nowicki has been nothing but an encouraging and supportive pillar to myself and my fellow classmates. Our strong class of 6 continued to pour into the newspaper despite the struggles of class size, but never for a moment would I go back and change the way things were. As I grew in my writing skills I felt more confident in the work I put forth and the issues I wanted to make present.
As Editor-in-Chief this past year, seeing the amount of work we made through The Tower instagram the past year really reflected as the class multiplied. All I can do is smile at the amount of juniors eager and passionate about writing the things they love. Learning and growing with them has been something I will always cherish as The Tower continues for years to come. 

As I graduate in June, this upcoming fall I will be attending Loyola University-Chicago next fall with a double major in Bilingual and Bicultural Education and Marketing. After college I hope to teach English as a second language as well as work freelance as a journalist and digital marketer. Though unlike some of my peers, I will not be going full force into journalism. Despite that I am forever thankful for all that I’ve learned throughout the class that I hope to carry on skills that I’ve learned with joining the Loyola paper and writing even on my own. 

Passing the baton, I would like to congratulate The Tower’s future Editor-in-Chief and Co-Editor-in-Chief Guinevere Clark and Emily Clark. Their work for The Tower has been outstanding and I have no doubt the publication will be in good hands as the rest of the seniors and myself depart on our next journeys. Remember to be yourself, do the things you love, and never give up.