“Ask questions”: Emma Murray, Opinions Editor

In the spirit of Opinion’s transparency, I’m going to be completely honest in saying that this was the first and only piece I wrote this year, mostly because I am not a big writer (which is extremely ironic). 

Last year, Sherm had strongly persuaded (borderline coerced) me to join the newspaper, enticing me with statements like “it will look really good on college apps’ ‘ and “We’re in lockdown… do something.” I ended up joining, mostly because I was trying to beef up my resumé, and I was made co editor of the Opinions Section of the Holly Spirit. Though I didn’t know it then, joining the HS was maybe one of the best decisions I’ve made while at RV. 

As a future politics major, one of my big goals for the year was to broaden my horizons along with my way of thinking. The opinions section is a talented group of writers who have helped me achieve said goal by writing about world issues they were passionate about. Not only did I get to read about topics in which I was unfamiliar, but the articles always made me ask questions; why is this happening and what can be done to fix it. 

Being the Editor of the opinions section has also helped me to have some difficult conversations and learn the right and wrong way to say something. Though it was a good one, this year was not always smooth sailing. Tough decisions had to be made for the betterment of the group. These taught me to step outside of the situation and look at it from a bigger perspective. 

Finally, the most important tool the HS taught me (and what I’m most grateful for) is how to DELEGATE AND MANAGE MY TIME. College is going to be a scary time for all of us; new people, new places, new routines. It is going to be overwhelming to say the least. However, learning to manage my workload so I am on top of things and not in tears every minute of the day is the most important takeaway. If anyone can learn one thing from all the due dates and fast paced style of the HS, it is time management and how to manage that in daily life. 

Sherm has requested we keep these to 400 words, so I probably won’t. I will, however, keep the ending brief. As ironic as it sounds, the Holly Spirit is a pretty cool club (and it does look really good on a college application).