My name is Jack Harrison. I am a third year at Michigan State University studying political theory & constitutional democracy in James Madison College and writing, reporting & editing in the School of Journalism. My resume contains links to published works, but this website is my work from high school that awarded me top writer and reporter in the state through MIPA. Here is my high school story:
When I started high school at Ann Arbor Huron, there was no newspaper. My advisor, Mrs. Badalamente, recruited me and six other freshman English students to bring it back. We were a unique group of students who would become unexpected friends. An athlete, a poet, a gamer, a thespian, a comedian, an activist, and me, a golfer. We had no publication experience. We never considered being journalists. Nevertheless, we became a community. I was committed, attending MIPA conferences and summer camp for the next three summers.
Heading into my junior year, I had aspirations to be editor-in-chief. However, because I made the decision to enroll in my high school’s IB Diploma Program, I had no space in my schedule for any electives, including the required course for our school newspaper. The IB decision made it more difficult due to the fact that I had already dedicated considerable time and energy to the launch of our school newspaper from the beginning. It was a labor of love and a source of pride for me. Fortunately, with help from teachers and administrators, I was permitted to attend a portion of the course by giving up my lunch period, which allowed me to continue working as an editor and participate in discussions and meetings. I also spent a significant amount of time outside of school to write pieces, design pages and help increase readership by promotion and fundraising.
At the start of senior year, I knew I wanted to study politics and public policy in college. However, I was not sure if journalism was just a hobby or a career interest. I remember my adviser Sara Badalamente encouraging me to apply for MIPA's All State journalism team. I really did not want to and did not consider the importance, especially since politics was my main focus. In January she said, "Jack, just trust me" and so reluctantly, I applied for it.
Fast forward to April of senior year. I was sitting in the audience at the Lansing Center not expecting my name to be called, but of course still hoping for it. When I heard my name and saw it appear on the screen, I saw Mrs. Badalamente smiling at me. I was smiling too and not just because I won. I was smiling because I knew in that moment, I could not say goodbye to journalism. It was not just a hobby.
When I started high school at Ann Arbor Huron, there was no newspaper. My advisor, Mrs. Badalamente, recruited me and six other freshman English students to bring it back. We were a unique group of students who would become unexpected friends. An athlete, a poet, a gamer, a thespian, a comedian, an activist, and me, a golfer. We had no publication experience. We never considered being journalists. Nevertheless, we became a community. I was committed, attending MIPA conferences and summer camp for the next three summers.
Heading into my junior year, I had aspirations to be editor-in-chief. However, because I made the decision to enroll in my high school’s IB Diploma Program, I had no space in my schedule for any electives, including the required course for our school newspaper. The IB decision made it more difficult due to the fact that I had already dedicated considerable time and energy to the launch of our school newspaper from the beginning. It was a labor of love and a source of pride for me. Fortunately, with help from teachers and administrators, I was permitted to attend a portion of the course by giving up my lunch period, which allowed me to continue working as an editor and participate in discussions and meetings. I also spent a significant amount of time outside of school to write pieces, design pages and help increase readership by promotion and fundraising.
At the start of senior year, I knew I wanted to study politics and public policy in college. However, I was not sure if journalism was just a hobby or a career interest. I remember my adviser Sara Badalamente encouraging me to apply for MIPA's All State journalism team. I really did not want to and did not consider the importance, especially since politics was my main focus. In January she said, "Jack, just trust me" and so reluctantly, I applied for it.
Fast forward to April of senior year. I was sitting in the audience at the Lansing Center not expecting my name to be called, but of course still hoping for it. When I heard my name and saw it appear on the screen, I saw Mrs. Badalamente smiling at me. I was smiling too and not just because I won. I was smiling because I knew in that moment, I could not say goodbye to journalism. It was not just a hobby.
What I do know is that the school paper, more than anything else in my academic or extracurricular career, has been my inspiration to understand and appreciate the world around me.
Hot off the press! Exhausted and relieved, we proudly hold up copies of the first issue of the Emery. This was when we were still a club, so we were all writers, editors, and page designers.
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At the 2018 Fall conference, I receive a critique from Novi High School Advsior, Lydia Cadena. I shared the feedback with my editorial board to make improvements for our next issues.
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