Category: journalism

Stuff having to do with the world of journalism.

Second Hand Shopping

Blondebundles67Leave a comment

I started thrifting a lot when I got my drivers license because I could go whenever I wanted. Now more recently I go more because I have a job and access to more money. Around 5 months old ago I found out about a large flea market in Thousand Oaks called the Jack and Jill Flea Market. The first thing you see when you drive into the Thousand Oaks Mall parking lot is about 100 pop up shade covers. Beneath those covers are hundreds of clothing items from shirts to shoes, bags, skirts, dresses and accesories. The clothes at The Jack and Jill Flea are more expensive than regular estate store items because they are curated clothes. The clothes are carefully picked and sourced rather than being old clothes from someone’s house. I also like to shop on Depop which is an online site for selling clothes. Words like “Vintage” and “Y2K” are used as tags in posts as buzz words to attract attention. Reselling clothes has become a popular form of making money. Many teenagers rely on places like the Goodwill bins to source vintage clothes that they can sell for 30x the amount they bought it for. Second hand shopping has become very popular for Gen Z, I can speak from personal experience. People are beginning to realize the implications of buying first hand such as pollution, the fast fashion crisis, child labor and much more. Shopping second hand is the best, cheapest and most sustainable way to shop.

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The Start to an End

glittersparkleprincess67Leave a comment

It is the third week of my senior year and I already have learned so much about myself and those around me. I moved in this year alone which was honestly really sad and depressing, I felt alone and like I had been pushed out of nest without any warning and before I was ready. However when I got to California I felt this odd sense of peace and support that I had never really felt before. Not only from my family here in California but especially from my friends. Within 24 hours of me being here I already had a hangout planned and was beyond excited to see my friends who I haven’t seen in 3 months. My first couple days on campus were filled with long hugs and constant “I missed you so much!” Hearing this and seeing it for myself made em feel so loved and wanted. I know it is only the third week of my senior year but I already am getting this vibe that this year is going to be amazing or at least I hope it is. I am excited to experience my final high school moments and memories with the people who have given me a family here. I truly can’t express into words how grateful I am for my friends here, I especially can’t express my gratitude for being able to finish high school with them.

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Senior year

FrenchFriesForeverLeave a comment

Everyone said that senior year was easy. It has been anything but easy. I have never had as much work as I have had this year. Every class has been giving endless amounts of homework. The classes that are giving the most are the all senior classes. Out of school I’m also endlessly busy, after school every day I have to work 2-3 horses. I get home every night around 7 or 8pm. Then I have all the homework that every class has been giving, it is simply too much. Then on top of it all there are college applications. I simply can not wait for the second semester, when I don’t have to worry about getting the best grades and when I won’t have college stuff to worry about. Almost all the seniors that I have talked to have similar thoughts about the work load, none of us like it. Then school also wants us to step up as student leaders, like we have time for that. After these past few weeks I’m not even looking forward to going to collage, it’s just another 4 years of school. I do hear good things about it, like how much more freedom you get and all that but I was also hearing that about high school and specifically senior year. That didn’t end up being true.

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Price of A Senior

frenchfriesssssLeave a comment

Every day, time passes, and every day I lose vital time that I need to apply to college. The essay, supplementals, and even the activity list are just a hassle to complete and do all by at least November. 

It’s not just the college application but also the classes and homework that I have to do, plus senior capstones. I have to prioritize applying for college, but the homework and activities that come with school are like a leech I just can’t get rid of. 

The rush that comes with the first semester of senior year is something that isn’t talked about enough. Mainly because the people who have experienced the pressure of the first semester of senior year have left.

So every day I spin a wheel to choose which college I want to write supplementals for, and every day I try to work on my homework while more come in for the next day. 

An endless loop.

How high school seniors are coping with senioritis and burnout | NPR Illinois

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Halloween

Blondebundles67Leave a comment

As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. I got to dress up, eat candy, and stay up past my bedtime. Halloween means something different to me now. I don’t go trick-or-treating. I still dress up, but the magic of the night is gone. When you’re a kid, the world is a magical place. Almost everything is bigger than you, and there is so much beauty to see. Now that I am 17, I don’t fantasize about Halloween like I used to. This year, all I am doing for Halloween is watching scary movies at my house while I eat popcorn and candy, which I bought at the store. I’m bringing a little more whimsy into my life by dressing up as a ladybug. Ladybugs are the epitome of whimsy to me. They are beautiful, free creatures. Although Halloween will never be like it was when I was little, I am still going to try my best to make it fun.

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The Cornell 57

Blondebundles67Leave a comment

I fail to see change and accountability in the scary world I live in. I remember the day when I first saw an Instagram post about The Cornell 7; safe to say I was disgusted but not surprised. As the day went on my whole feed was flooded with posts about what happened to Jane Doe in October of 2024, I saw people arguing for justice and supporting the 7 fraternity members. I have heard people say things like “It was the hormones,” “they haven’t been charged with anything so why are we ruining their reputation,” “they are wrongfully accused.” Again I am not surprised. What makes me lack hope in humanity is the fact that there were 57 boys, and I call them boys because they are not men, in that group-chat. Not a single one spoke up. Cornell failed Jane Doe. The punishment for the 7 men who are accused of assaulting and took advantage of Jane Doe was to write an essay. An essay! Cornell swept the situation under the rug in hopes the public would not find out the fact that they failed to protect their students. Who knows how many more instances have been covered up to protect their identities of disgusting men who do not know how to control themselves around women. I hope that whichever college I choose to go to works hard to ensure that women feel safe on campus. Women had to fight for their education and the right to go to college. Now we have to fight for our safety. What will we have to fight for next?

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Girlhood

glittersparkleprincess67Leave a comment

Being a girl is an experience that words cannot capture, no matter how hard we try. There is a sense of connection that every woman feels with each other; we all know what it’s like to experience your period for the first time, what it’s like to have to go bra shopping for the first time, and we all know what it’s like to look over our shoulders when walking alone. Like many, if not almost all, women, I remember my first time looking over my shoulder and feeling an instant adrenaline rush telling me to run. I was 10 years old, walking to the Walgreens two streets over from my house to go grab snacks on a hot summer day. I was wearing black Nike shorts and an oversized Miami Dolphins t-shirt. A man driving in his car up the road I was going down slowed when he saw me, and he instantly turned around and started following me. My heart sank to my feet, and my whole body went cold. I was only a child, but I had this immediate response, almost as if it had been ingrained into my DNA, telling me to run, and I did. I ran as fast as my body physically could home, and when I got into my house, I sprinted up to my room and didn’t come out for hours. I didn’t walk to that Walgreens for 3 years after that due to the fact that I was so terrified. This may sound like some unique experience, but it is a common one for women to experience even at that young age. Being a girl means having to assess your surroundings wherever you go to ensure you are safe or at least know how to get out. Being a girl means going everywhere with someone else to make sure you are never alone. Being a girl means knowing to cover your drink and only taking closed cans when you are out. Girlhood is the feeling of experiencing universal experiences with women you may never meet; girlhood is knowing what it’s like to look over your shoulder wherever you go, a feeling every woman who has ever lived can relate to.

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Colombia Missions Trip

SonnyAngel100Leave a comment

Over the summer, I went on a mission trip to Pereira, Colombia, to help at a children’s orphanage. Every kid who is at the orphanage has a story and a reason they’re there. Some of the kids were very shy and would barely talk to us, and others just wanted attention and someone who cares about them. Even though my Spanish was really bad, I could still have small conversations with the kids, but they would get annoyed because most of the time I had no clue what they were saying. Some of the kids were my age, and it was crazy to see how different our lives are and how happy they are just because a group of Americans who couldn’t even speak Spanish came to hang out with them. Over the week and a half, we gave them multiple gifts; some of the gifts were things that they needed, but others were toys and games. After we left, there was a huge earthquake only a few towns over, and some of the orphanages building got destroyed, but even though they didn’t have much space and they already had trouble getting food, they still decided to take in more kids whose parents were lost in the earthquake. Going to Colombia was such a cool experience, and I cant wait to go again next summer. 

Redemption Ojai | Ojai CA

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Changing Perspectives

olivemartinisforeverLeave a comment

It’s crazy to me how fast your perspective on life can change. Over the last four months, I feel like I have learned so much about myself and the world around me. I was always the type of person who felt like they needed someone, whether romantically or platonically. I would always complain about not having a boyfriend or feeling alone, but I came to realize that being alone is ok, infact it is normal. How can you be with someone else, whether a friendship or relationship, if you don’t fully understand yourself and are confident being alone? Over the past few months, I’ve grown to spend that time alone and enjoy it. Especially when driving alone, having that moment singing your favorite song on your playlist while zoning out on the road is such a freeing feeling. You lose your sense of worries and pressures; no one to put energy into but yourself. I learned to realize that while I love being with my friends, it’s ok to have those moments alone. I haven’t found myself feeling that loneliness much anymore or saying how I need a boyfriend because I don’t. I think that I used to say all those things because I felt so behind everyone. But truly, I wasn’t; everything happens at the right time for their person, and there’s no rushing that or even a need to. Being “behind” in your firsts as a teenager can feel so degrading, but really it doesn’t matter. No one should look at you or treat you differently because it doesn’t matter; it isn’t something that should define you. So yes, even though I don’t feel that “behind” feeling anymore, I learned to realize I never was, and all of that stuff shouldn’t define you. All of us humans are worth so much more because of who we are, not what we have done. 

Silhouette Man Sitting Alone On Beach Stock Footage Video (100% Royalty-free) 1022546908 | Shutterstock
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Independent sport

pinkypie222Leave a comment

Switching from a school sport to independent PE has honestly made my life so much easier. I started doing independent Lagree, and I didn’t realize how much time a school sport was taking up until I wasn’t doing one anymore. I used to have practices after all of my classes, which for me meant getting home later, having less time for homework, and basically having my whole afternoon planned around my sport. Now, I have way more freedom with my schedule.

The biggest difference is definitely how much free time I have every day. Instead of going straight from ending classes to school sports for 2 hours, I can go home, get ready for Lagree, hang out with my friends, do homework, and still have time to do nothing for once. I don’t have to worry about rushing through everything because I know I have a certain time for my workout class. I can actually go to school without having to worry if I have a game after school that also requires me to leave early and miss class time. I also like that my independent sport is actually a workout that I know is good for me.

I also like being able to choose when I work out. With Lagree, I can schedule classes in advance instead of having my schedule built around my school sports. If I have a lot of homework that day, I can just plan around that, and if I have plans after school, I can go to a different class; it’s just a lot more convenient. I always hear people on sports teams talking about how late they got home, and it makes me so glad I’m not doing that anymore.

Home - Reform Room Lagree

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