It began with a click.

In sixth grade during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, I searched up my first name for some unexplainable reason and found myself staring at a response that read “Shrika Vurimi — Coppell Student Media” that read that she was “a sophomore and staff writer for The Sidekick.”

What’s The Sidekick? I thought, searching up “the sidekick coppell” on Google. Clicking on the “Images” section, I saw the logo of The Sidekick: a black-and-white flag in all caps, combining the dark font with negative space.

That looks so cool, I thought as I stared and saved it into my photos.

I may have directly foreshadowed my own introduction to the program.

In ninth grade, I was given resources for groups in my Principles of Arts, A/V Tech and Communications class to make podcasts. One of those resources was a link to Coppell Student Media.

Clicking on it changed me permanently. I would eventually get to the point where I would check the news site daily to see if anything new got posted, a practice I still do.

The cycle of checking it more frequently turned into the decision of joining it in 10th grade and starting a goal to post more content on CSM than Shrika Vurimi who left after one year (Shrika Vurimi, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry), which I have achieved with 25 published stories, photo illustrations, graphics and comics total.

As I explored CSM, I was inspired by its members. Previous and current Sidekick members from 2023 to today inspired me to improve my drawing and writing skills.

As I progressed through the program, I started to become more confident. On my first day, I was scared to talk to anyone — mostly the editors — since I didn’t know anyone. I still am sometimes nervous to talk to the editors now, but since, I have forced myself to go up and actually talk to them, which has led me to become friends with a few of them.

Additionally, my coverage of local events like the 2025 Vivace! fall show and the Coppell Community Orchestra’s Springtime Harmonies concert inspired me to talk to more people.

During the fall show, I was really scared to talk to two audience members. However, after looking at the people sitting next to me, I thought, Wait, they’re high school students. Maybe this will be easy?

I used that same logic when I talked to the conductor and president of the orchestra along with another audience member at the concert a few months later on March 1.

Ever since I saw the title of “staff cartoonist” on CSM, I had one goal: to go through the process of being a staff member until eventually becoming an editor as an 11th and/or 12th grader.

But I realized by the end of 11th grade that maybe I don’t need to be an editor to make an impact on The Sidekick. I have already had enough achievements: being Staff Member of The Week two weeks, winning top design twice in the weekly staff celebrations for a comic and photo illustration and having my first-ever news story featured in Showcase. Additionally, I was selected for the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society in April and won the Heart of D115 award during The Sidekick banquet on May 7 along with staff writer Prathi Tamara Satish Kumar.

I once heard sports photography editor/social media manager Naila Ali say that The Sidekick never sleeps. That is not completely true, but it is true that The Sidekick staff members never completely leave the program. And so I partially agree with the statement — in a metaphorical sense.

Even if I never win Best of SNO or get to write an official senior column about my time in the program, I will know that hopefully The Sidekick has benefited from me being a part of the program, just as I have benefited from being a part of it.

Follow @CHSCampusNews on X.