“So you’re the new Accolade guy!” 

I wear the moniker like a badge of honor. 

“Yes, I am!” I reply. “I feel so fortunate to be here.” 

“Fortunate” only barely scratches the surface. My predecessor described advising the program as his “dream job,” and while I wholeheartedly agree with his sentiment, I feel I must differentiate myself. 

Not only is this a dream come true for me, but this also marks the achievement of a goal that I set for myself when I first became a teacher back in 2020: to one day lead a journalism program. 

Before I was a teacher, I was a journalist.

I started in the journalism program at the University of Arizona during my freshman year of college in 2014, and completed my degree in journalism some three-and-a-half years later. During that time, I wrote for a small magazine called El Independiente, covering the south Tucson community, and Arizona Sonora News, our college newspaper. During my senior year, I wrote for the Arizona Daily Star, a local newspaper serving Pima County. 

It was during my time as a reporter that I was first introduced to the world of education. I covered all kinds of issues regarding education and education inequality, and by interviewing students, parents, teachers and administrators, I was able to realize the immense power of education. It transformed lives, sparked passions and made dreams come true for so many students and members of the community.

People told me their stories about how education had changed the trajectories of their lives for the better, and I could not help but become inspired. Inspiration is contagious, after all. 

Now that I have become a teacher and adviser, I hope to share that inspiration with the community here at Sunny Hills. I am truly blessed to join and lead an immensely talented team of young journalists, and I hope that their words and their art inspire you in some way. I believe that The Accolade is more than just a school newspaper; it represents what is possible when we work together and push each other to be the best we possibly can be. 

I would like to close out this column by first thanking my predecessor, Tommy Li, for sharing his passion and wisdom with me and with our students. I would also like to thank the students, staff, administration, parents and alumni of Sunny Hills for your support of The Accolade throughout the years. Finally, I would like to thank you, dear reader, for taking the time.

Sincerely, 

“The new Accolade guy”

CJ D’Innocente