I think I can proudly say that my time spent at The Mill was a pleasant time. Why? Because I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Confino my freshman year of high school, and the most obvious answer, taking journalism.

Reminiscing back to the times when I was a freshman in Confino’s class is horrific. I was a slacker, didn’t turn in work on time, or never turned in assignments in her class, and many more non-scholarly behaviors.

Well, actually, now that I stated all these things that I did in her class, I realized I still do those things… awkward. Anyways, that’s beside the point. I may still do all these things, but I’ve learned to always confide in Mrs. Confino and talk things through.

Mrs. Confino is without a doubt the most understanding, passionate, and one of the most amazing teachers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

When our school’s newspaper, The Current, was first introduced to our school, it was a physical newspaper and then transferred to the internet our sophomore year. I was a junior when Confino forced–I mean highly advised–me to take her journalism class and I can honestly say I don’t regret taking an elective for two years.

I was hesitant to join because I never was comfortable with sharing my opinion or even having a friend proofread schoolwork for my English class. But nonetheless, I still joined anyways.

March 3, 2017. A moment that changed my life forever was documented and broadcast in our school newspaper as “Girls basketball player benched for wearing hijab in a playoff game,” the headline said.

The rest is history.

Going into journalism, I could never have imagined my name or even face being recognized around the school, my community, or even globally. But my confidence, opinions being shared, rules being changed, barriers being broken, and many more honorable mentions would have never been possible without Mrs. Confino.

So to any underclassmen who still are hesitant about joining journalism, this is my message to you: journalism will get your voice heard, you will make many cool journalism friends, you will get to see the most amazing mom-woman-teacher every day, and most importantly, you might even get famous. Thank you, Mrs. Confino. I will carry the interactions we shared everywhere I go.