The fall of 2021 marked the start of my senior year of high school. Senior year means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but for me, senior year meant finishing strong and saying goodbye. As a photojournalist, that meant saying goodbye to the school that made you fall in love with journalism and finishing strong, making sure to leave a mark on McCallum. 

I began my senior year trying to ignore the inevitable leaving by going to every sporting event, which at the time was volleyball and football, that I could. I was also serving as photo editor for my school’s newspaper, which allowed me to help and guide the younger staff members on their journey in becoming photographers. At volleyball games, I continued to take photographs and find new angles to photograph from, even capturing some of my favorite images I have taken so far. But starting at football games, I began to serve the coverage team in a new way. Not as a photographer but as a sort of social media manager, or someone who posted updates on the game. This allowed all the other younger photographers a chance to take incredible images that, sometimes literally, took my breath away while I got to look at every single one of them and choose their very best ones to put out into the world. While I was certainly not used to not being behind the camera, I think taking on a new job in the coverage team helped me improve my ability to work under pressure and my visual deductive skills as a photographer, which are both very important skills to have as a photojournalist. 

Now, just because I stepped down as a head photographer for some events does not mean I didn’t jump on the opportunity to take photos at one of the most extraordinary events to happen all year, the LBJ Fire Academy’s Fire Skill Day. student firefighters who have been training for months get together at a spot just outside of town to help put out a fire. Before this year, I had never really known the exact date or time this took place so I never got the chance to go. But luckily this year, a family friend happened to be participating in it and she told us exactly when to get there. Not only was it amazing to photograph but it was incredibly cool to watch kids my age put out a fire. I was standing 50 yards away and could still feel the heat, I couldn’t imagine the heat the students felt when they were a mere five feet away from the flames. That night I took some of the best photos of my entire carrier, one of them even being featured at a photo exhibition at Webster University. That night taught me many things, but mostly to never be afraid of fire or the dark, especially as a photographer. 

One of the hardest things a person can do is say goodbye to the things and people they love. My journey as a photographer can all be traced back to the love I had for the sport of basketball. The lightning-fast speed of the game and the mesmerizing moves the players make back and forth across the court, it was the sport that inspired me to start taking photos during my freshman year. Fast forward three years later and I was about to say goodbye to what sparked my love for what I was going to study in college. At the start of the season, I wanted to go to every game myself, just as I had last year during COVID. But it quickly became clear that I wasn’t going to be able to do that. I was busier than I ever had been before and I needed someone else to step in and take my place. Luckily for me, a girl one year belongs to me on the newspaper staff stepped up to the challenge. Not only was she an amazing photographer but she was also an amazing friend. She was fun to chat with at the games I could still make it to and she made my time there much more enjoyable. Getting to share this last basketball season with her made me realize that it’s ok to let go and say goodbye. I’m going to miss covering basketball and going to all the games so much that I’m tearing up as I write this, but I know that I’m leaving it in good hands and I’m so proud to have been a part of the basketball coverage team at McCallum.

Basketball wasn’t the last sport I covered this year. With a shortage of photographers in the late spring and my brother dragging me to all of his track meets anyways, I decided one day to bring my camera along with me. I was able to get some amazing photos of my brother and his friends, and a bit later in the year was offered an amazing opportunity. Every year at the University of Texas at Austin they hold a track event called the Texas Relays. Being from Austin, my school sends people regularly, and they often send photographers along with them. I was one of those lucky photographers this year. Getting to take pictures at Mike Myers Stadium down at UT, which just happens to be where I’ll be attending college next year, was surreal. It showed me glimpse into my future and I am grateful that I got that opportunity to be there.

The last event I covered as a MacJournalism student was the Blue Brigade Spring Show, our drill teams end of year performance. One of the traditions of the spring show is for every senior on the team to get a speech and solo performance, kind of as a last goodbye to their fellow team members. I remember there was one particular speech that stood out to me and it was by one of my best friends, Annabel, whom I’ve known since the sixth grade. I remember having tears slowly roll down my face as I heard her say goodbyes to her friends on the team and specifically her dad, who also happened to be my journalism advisor. I realized then and there that this was one of the last chances to make a difference as a MacJournalism photographer. I gave it my all that night and I certainly believe it paid off. That night was a good one to go out on.