The beginning of the "lasts" of everything.
Honestly, yesterday is still a blurr to me. I am ridiculously worn out by this weekend but I am so proud of my newspaper staff. I don't care if we didn't get that Newspaper sweepstakes or Super Sweepstakes trophy (after all, our name is already imprinted on it from years past!) but what matters to me is that we were GREAT hosts and we had a great time together.
Yesterday, I competed at my last ELAJEA Write Offs Competition. I competed at my first ELAJEA Write Offs competition at Alhambra High School, and ended it at Alhambra High School. Luckily for me, Alhambra is going to be my Alma Mater, and starting here and ending here means a great deal to me, and will always hold a special place in my heart.
In the three previous years I had never placed in a single category-- Novice News, Critical Review, and Newswriting. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. I didn't expect much this time. After all, I was writing Editorial.
I have never competed in the Editorial category. I've never even been the most clever and witty Opinions writer (my Opinions editors are FANTABULOUS when it comes to being smart and funny!) and I just didn't know what to expect. I went into the competition with a bright mind and whatever it took to just place. I didn't care. I just wanted to place. Even if it was 10th place, I would've taken it.
After the competition, I was like "it's okay. You win some, you lose some. Okay, in my case, you don't win any." I knew my staff would do well, so I wasn't nervous for them. I was just worried for myself.
After bonding time during lunch, we came back to school and had an amazing jam session. I haven't been so happy just singing my heart out since...well, since forever. My life has been unstable because of all these college decisions coming out, and it was just what I needed to keep myself from thinking about the horrors of being rejected to my dream school. Anyway, I met an amazing girl (and now friend) and she just really touched my heart because she is so beautiful and sweet and her voice and talent is really a blessing from God. Jamming for a couple hours with her and Alison, and having a small crowd watch us and cheer us on was really fun! My staff was so supportive of us :')
Well, awards came and I was like nervous and trembling and what not. Editorials literally came like second to last! And I was completely terrified. When they got to about 5th place, I was SURE I didn't place. I mean, Catherine and Daisy took 4th and 5th. There was absolutely NO WAY I could place at this point!
And then it happened.
"In second, from Alhambra High School-- (being Mr. Padilla, he took a long pause) Joyce Lam!"
My reaction? KJSDNFKJSDNF WHUT IS GOING ON THERE MUST BE A MISTAKE THERE IS NO WAY ARE YOU SURE OHMYGOSHS DKJFNSJKDNJKFNSDF
Seriously, that right there, is not an understatement. It's accurate in it's entirety cause those were the thoughts going through my head.
Our publication ended up taking 3rd (or was it 4th?) in Newspaper Sweepstakes, but I was proud of my staff regardless.
After all these years of investing my life in Newspaper, I do not regret a single bit of it. I can even say that I'm definitely coming back to give back to a program that molded me and stretched me into a versatile person.
The Moor, you have made me a proud Editor in Chief.
(I'll get more sappy at Installs in June. You wait for it.)