“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

From the moment this question was posed, I wondered what I would do in the future. I explored various hobbies and fields, including fashion design, forensics and music, yet none of them seemed to stick quite right.

Finally, one day, I stumbled upon writing. I first wrote poems in kindergarten, then shifted to short stories in middle school and even attempted (and, unsurprisingly, failed) to write a full novel on numerous occasions. Yet, one of my earliest memories of writing involves not creative writing, but journalism.

Around first or second grade, I took a couple of sheets of graph paper and my favorite markers and began to create my first newspaper by hand. I made up stories, drew little stick figure people for the photos and even made a crossword puzzle for the games section. That little packet I considered my pride was where my interest in journalism first began.

Years later, as a young teenager, I read a book where the main character was the editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper. The book’s title has faded from my memory, but the character is still fresh in my mind, mostly because she was someone I aspired to be. She was smart, well-liked and, in my eyes, a perfect character.

With that, I knew I wanted to be a part of a school newspaper.

Now, in high school, my dream has come true. Sometimes, when I sit in our newsroom, I flashback to my younger days, ambitious and determined, hoping to be someone remarkable.

By doing what I love to do, journalism allows me to be that person. Surrounded by equally, if not far more, remarkable people, I realize I have finally made it. I have found the answer to the question that once stumped me.

Journalism is doing more for me than I asked it to. Thanks to my time on The Sidekick, I have gotten to know so many new people. When I cover an event or write about the latest happenings in Coppell, I speak to so many amazing people with vivid, brilliant stories. Uncovering these unique perspectives is often the most rewarding part of journalism.

I know now that every person has a story. As amateur high school journalists, we get to tell these and show off our school’s and community’s gorgeous colors. In doing so, I found my own colors. I love to tell these stories. If it means seeing people’s eyes brighten as they read, fascinated, about their peers and themselves, I would do this for the rest of my life.

That is what journalism is to me.

Follow @shravyamahesh on Twitter.