Two strikes. Three balls. Runners on first and third.

I could see the sweat trickling down the sides of my brother’s face as he took a deep breath and began his wind up on the mound. Moms in the stands grasped each other’s hands as the coaches held their breaths.  

I peered through my Nikon D3200 as the ball soared through the air and snuggled perfectly into the catcher’s glove. 

Flash! Strike out! Joy intoxicated my body as I knew I had captured my brother’s winning knuckle curve pitch. At 8 years old, I possessed the skill to give everlasting life to a single moment. I shot a picture.

 Photography, however, became more of a replaceable hobby, and I gravitated toward writing and English literature. Even when I first joined Journalism 1, I took the class intending to become a staff writer. 

After all, I remember my elementary school summers consisted of reading classics with my mom, followed by watching movie adaptations. Whether it was Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm or Charlotte’s Web, the written words always struck me greater than the visuals. I could feel emotions and hear thoughts that films failed to capture. 

By the time I entered junior high school, I had read Little Women four times. I could never fathom why Louisa May Alcott concluded her story devoid of the one event I anticipated — the marriage of Jo and Laurie. She wove the ideal amount of hostility and harmony within their relationship, so where was the marriage? 

I longed for Alcott to reincarnate and relate her intentions; I was falling deeper into the world of literature. 

As high school set in, I grew infatuated with poems. I saw beauty in poetry in spinning thoughts into lines on paper. Poetry seemed like a mystery in which people could devise different justifications for its meaning — I was allured.

With such a passion for literature, photography never crossed my mind as I applied for The Accolade. To be completely honest, I applied as a photographer on a whim because of my dread of having to constantly interview teachers and students. 

However, I was able to nurture my love for photography and appreciate its value over these past three years. Where I lost myself in a fantasy birthed by novels, photography forced me to dive headfirst into reality and truly experience “the high school life.”

With coverage of football games to class reunions, I attended so many events I knew I wouldn’t have participated in otherwise. I branched out relationships with teachers and students over my pictures in the newspaper and became more aware of the news occurring at school. Simply having the opportunity to photograph such special occasions drove my desire to nourish my role in The Accolade.

Although I was not involved in the physical writing process, photography in itself is a story. Though it may seem cliche, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. I capture moments that have now become a part of Lancer history — something that community members and students can cherish for years to come.

I encourage all high school students to break away from their bubbles and rekindle the lost love. Don’t be so caught up in one aspect of your life that you forget to enjoy the other smaller moments. Take each school year as a new chapter to foster a different passion, broaden your horizons and explore your strengths. 

What’s wrong with being an English major on a pre-law track with a side hustle in photography? That’s what I plan to do in the next chapters, and snapshots, of my life.