Opinions Writing

This editorial emerged from a personal emotion – hopelessness – that wouldn’t leave my brain after the deadly Apalachee High School shooting. Initially, my first draft was an explosion of raw emotion the day of the shooting, but after giving myself a day to process, I put a more journalistic hat on and critically examined my writing. With that lens, I harnessed the raw emotion of the first draft into a more concise, impactful statement that retained its beseeching tone. 

In the editorial I wrote in response to the presidential election, I wanted to ensure I had a balanced, well-informed take on the issue. In a way, I tried to cast aside my personal biases to have a unique perspective on the issue, one that most outlets weren’t considering: the importance of institutional strength during President Trump’s second term. It was through that lens that I approached the story.

Similar to the democracy editorial, I wanted to have a non-partisan take on the election that was unique to the ODYSSEY’s readership. As such, I focused on Georgia’s crucial role as a swing state in the election, highlighting the impact of voters’ choices on the ballot. To scaffold the editorial, I wanted to interview journalists covering the election, but after making a concerted but ultimately unsuccessful effort, I instead spoke to a former Georgia Democratic party chair to contextualize the state’s important place in the 2024 elections.

My first column as Sports Editor turned out to be one of my best ones. Due to the rise in esports' popularity at CCHS, I decided to take a stand on the topic, arguing that they ought to be considered a sport due to the team-building and alternative benefits they offer. I backed up my claim with strong interviews, namely from Joey Gawrysiak, a big name in esports. Ultimately, not a year after this column was published, CCHS got an esports team of its own.

In this social commentary on the continued relevance of "Dirty Dancing in the context of the abortion decision, I had to really work for the story. At first, I'd simply written a throwback review of the movie on the 35th anniversary of its release, but my adviser pushed me to find the real story in that. As such, I totally restarted, making it into one of my favorite pieces.

This story was a tongue-in-cheek reaction to the UGA football team’s driving scandal. With this piece, I tried to balance entertainment – jokes and pointed humor at UGA’s expense – with the real-life context and impacts of their behavior, which included the death of a former player and recruiting staffer.

What challenged me about this piece was trying to review an album I saw as neither outstanding nor mediocre -- pretty average. I have listened to The 1975 before, but I didn't think about that when reviewing the album so I remained unbiased. Looking back, I could've done more with the review, as many songs are politically charged, which would make it ideal for a social commentary

As a soccer player myself, this open letter had personal significance to me as I watched the World Cup. With that being said, I knew I couldn't just speak to my personal experience, because that wouldn't properly engage the audience -- I had to make the audience care by using figurative language and short, punchy paragraphs.