“I think when I was a kid, I wanted to be a ballerina,” said Lilly Boyd, a senior member of Buffalo Island Central’s Journalism club. “I don’t remember exactly why I got into it, but I’m pretty sure it was partly because of my mother that I was so interested in it.” Like many people, her life now is far different from what she thought that it would be when she was a child, but it is hard to say that she regrets any of the decisions that she’s made that led her to where she is now.
Lilly is finishing up her third year of Journalism where she has become a critical member of the staff and taken on the responsibility of yearbook editor. Being responsible for editing a 170 yearbook that strives to represent the entire Buffalo Island Central is no small task.
She had first gotten wind of joining the Journalism program from Emily Carter, the Journalism program facilitator, in the ninth grade, where she says “ Mrs. Carter sort of pressured me to join when I got into the tenth grade. I was overwhelmed when I first joined. I thought about dropping out, but Ms. Carter kept me going.” This is the typical way that someone enrolls into the class, but Lilly Boyd’s consistency and dedication over the years are one of a kind.
She spends the majority of her time in Journalism writing articles for the Hoof Prints, BIC’s premier news website, where she had gotten the most comfortable during her years in Journalism. “It’s what Ms. Carter had wanted me to join for, my writing ability, so I usually spend a lot of time just writing articles. It’s sort of my specialty,” says Boyd, having written 5+ articles in the span of a few years in addition to extensive yearbook writing projects. In combination with the work that she’s done not only with the yearbook, but fundraising efforts, she has been an invaluable member of the club since the day she joined.
When asked how she managed the stress of an extracurricular club, which commonly requires constant attention even outside of the classroom, Lilly stated one of her main pillars of support was the friendly environment that the Journalism class has. “I mean, I’m friends with almost everyone here, so it’s easy to just come in and be comfortable working,” says Boyd. This positive environment has also shown feasible results, as it has resulted in the Buffalo Island Central Journalism Program winning many awards over the years of its creation. Boyd has won a superior award at the annual Journalism festival, ASPA, and cited it as “one of my proudest moments being a part of Journalism”.
Though, like every club in the school, there are things to be regretted and drawbacks to be had when working. “One of the worst things about Journalism is the fundraising that we have to do. I get that we need money to do stuff, but it’s really awkward sometimes,” says Boyd. This, along with the additional time that is needed to be an active member of Journalism, are the main drawbacks to joining. There are plenty of benefits though, “I’ve learned about things that I otherwise would’ve never thought about, and working here has also given me a chance to improve my writing skills.”
Journalism also provides a bridge to your passions, and what you would think that you want to do with the rest of your life. When asked, Boyd stated how in a few years she would see herself going to college. “I want to get a degree in English and then I think that I’d probably want to do public relations. It’s just something that’s been calling to me,” said Boyd. Her writing talent had also come into play when she had been deciding what to do. It had been there since she was a freshman in Ms. Carter’s Ninth Grade English class, but throughout her years in Journalism it had been fostered and blossomed into a love for English and writing as a whole.
Lilly Boyd has been a foundation of the Journalism program for a long time now, and it is now her third year being a part of the club. Even if she wasn’t aspiring to be a part of the club when she had first started, she has shown that she now has the motivation and determination to stick with it and give it her all, with the articles that she has written and the award that she has won. She has also fit into the Journalism environment well, being a loved member by everyone and serving as a leader in her yearbook editor role.
