Two years ago, a timid me crept to the corner of the room for my first sports journalism class at DeMatha. Although I appeared shy, I had strong ambitions to succeed in this class, as I aspired to become a sports journalist.

Our first assignment was a diagnostic, in which we had to recall a sports game we had watched in the past two months. As people apathetically wrote, I intuitively recalled Stephen Curry’s 43-point masterclass to beat the Boston Celtics in game four of the 2022 NBA Finals. When I finished my diagnostic, I turned in my paper to the sports journalism teacher, Mr. Cory Puffett. As I did this, I told Mr. Puffett I was serious about sports journalism, and therefore wanted to be instructed in the sense of an aspiring sports journalist. Captivated by my importunity, Mr. Puffett fervently agreed and dismissed me that day by saying, “See you next class.”

With my determination coupled with Mr. Puffett’s teaching, I would end up writing 17 sports articles in two years. Those articles consisted of recaps, polls, and opinion pieces that covered sports such as basketball, baseball, football, and more. I also edited a multitude of sports articles, even co-writing an article about DeMatha basketball’s Cinderella run in the Maryland Private School State Tournament. Both the overall quality and quantity of my writing and editing of articles allowed me to win the sports writing award my junior year, be selected as editor-in-chief for my senior year, and win the overall journalism award for the totality of my senior year.

One thing I believed was key to defining my success was my ability to ask for help. When writing some of my articles, there were multiple times when I had trouble knowing how to portray my message effectively. When that occurred, I insisted on asking Mr. Puffett for his opinion, and he would ultimately help enable an idea in my head I could work with.

This was evident during my article “DeMatha and the World Series.” When brainstorming the article, I decided that my objective was to get DeMatha students’ opinions on the Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros World Series. With that being established, I wanted a unique introduction that could both excite the readers and seek validation for DeMatha’s baseball opinions. I went to Mr. Puffett to help brainstorm, and he informed me about DeMatha’s upcoming Hall of Fame induction, where one of the inductees had connections with the MLB. The person Mr. Puffett was referring to was Bobby St. Pierre. After having stints in the minor leagues, St. Pierre took up coaching, where he has climbed up in the ranks to become a full-time scout for the Astros. With the connection of former DeMatha alumni working for the World Series Astros, I used DeMatha’s Hall of Fame induction and Bobby St. Pierre to loop into DeMatha’s opinions on the World Series.

Another thing I believe was potent to my achievements was my passion for my work. When I would write an article, I would make sure to give full-fledged effort for me and my readers to enjoy. The passion I had for my articles allowed me to write longer, in-depth articles that I could ultimately be proud of in hindsight.

An example of this was my article “The 2022-23 Varsity Baseball Team: A Team to Remember.” In my junior year, I was a part of DeMatha’s baseball team that amassed the team’s best record in years. To honor that, I wanted to write an article recapping the season that could captivate the team’s success. I recapped the season in four parts, highlighting our start, our rough stretch, our South Carolina trip and winning streak, and our last game. To help describe those parts, I interviewed a person on the team. Shrouded in my love for that team, I wrote a 1700-word recap to keep its legacy alive. Based on my teammates and their parent’s admiration for the article, I can also be proud of it .

This upcoming fall I will continue my chapter of journalism at Morehouse College. I will go into Morehouse with two years of experience, and a substantial amount of passion with me. My passion originally started when I first walked into that classroom, and has since magnified as I leave it. Whatever my future may hold in sports journalism, I will always be grateful for everything I learned at the DeMatha Stagline. Thank you for an incredible two years; I hope to always see you prosper.