I do not have an ounce of experience in journalism.
The moment I stepped into my dorm on July 15, I realized I was a minority among the group of students here; I was someone who didn’t know what I was doing.
I began to feel disheartened overhearing stories of prodigal yearbook students and pioneers of respective school newspapers, knowing that my school lacked programs like that. I applied for HSJI to explore ways to pursue writing in the real world and to learn about a career that was anything but familiar to me.
On our first day, our introductions were intensified by the OSU high ropes course. I saw it and my heart dropped. A mountainous web of ropes, platforms, tubes, and ladders loomed over us, casting thin shadows on the earth below.
Eventually, palms sweating, heart beating, and harness chafing, it was my turn to climb the ladder. My first step was brave, the hot metal slipping underneath my hands as I lifted one foot after the other. The second step was shaky, breath fast as I reached the unsteady tethered planks of wood.
By the time I got to the platform I was in full panic mode. My goal was the zipline, 20 feet away, one long rope. There was no way that I would continue onto the trials that the course had to offer — the ladder was enough of a challenge for me.
I climbed down, feeling dejected. But as I was taking a hearty gulp of water, an instructor came up to me.
It turns out there was another way to get to the zipline! The only catch was the climb, a journey up a wide wooden trunk, assisted by steps attached to the wood, almost like branches. I was attached to the instructor by a rappel, which prevented me from falling while climbing up. When I finally reached the platform, I was pulled up by one of the people leading the activity.
He harnessed me into the zipline and instructed me to stand on the edge of the scaffold, telling me to take my time.
At first I was frustrated with my inability to step off, comparing myself to the people before me that had done it with ease. Psyching myself out, I hovered my foot over the edge, peering down to the sunbaked grass below.
“I’m sorry for taking so long. I feel stupid,” I half-joked to him.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Instead of stepping off, try to lean into your harness, sit back and let gravity do the work.”
That story was a really long way of saying that over this week I’ve learned to loosen up.
With the help of the incredible editors and supportive peers, I realized that it’s okay for others to help me climb. My initial ignorance has, if anything, created curiosity and an undying need to grasp the insight that my peers already have.
So far, this program has taught me so much, the outstanding thing being that it’s okay to ask for help and admit total inexperience. Even when the ropes shake, even when the ground feels so far away, it’s okay to sit back and get comfortable.
— Olivia Shreefter, St. Mary’s Academy
This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to oregonlive.com/hsji.
