I’ve always had a passion for writing. Even though the love has always been there, I discovered the potential I had as a writer at the beginning of my eighth grade year. I would spend my free time writing short stories, and after a while, my adoration of storytelling turned into a passion for journalistic writing. Over the course of my high school career, I have taken my fair share of writing based classes, but I truly thrived when I joined Smoke Signals.

I found it exciting to be able to inform Wayne Valley of interesting news that our community would appreciate and enjoy. I grew from being a staff writer to Sports and Clubs Editor to senior Editor-in-Chief, and I couldn’t be more proud of how far I’ve come as a journalist. During my junior year, I applied to be Sports and Clubs Editor because I love watching sports and being able to analyze what’s happening as the event goes on. I quickly realized that this was my calling in life, and I wanted to make a career out of it, so I continued to develop my writing even further. In the fall I will be attending Quinnipiac University to join their accelerated dual degree program for my bachelor’s degree in journalism and my master’s degree in sports journalism. Go Bobcats! 

Before beginning my term as Editor-in-Chief, I was informed by the advisors that Smoke Signals hadn’t had a singular person fill this position in a while. Of course, I was intimidated at first, but I accepted the challenge and led the editing staff to successfully release four issues on time. Without them, my job would have been a lot more difficult to handle. They were encouraging, hardworking, and above all, gracious. I would also like to thank Mrs. Nazarko and Mrs. Hannon for giving me this opportunity and trusting me to lead the staff this year. To my fellow senior editors and writers, it has been amazing to work with you these past few years, and I wish you all the best in the future. 

Thank you Wayne Valley. It has my pleasure to write for you. 

~ Gina