Throughout freshman and sophomore year I felt like I didn’t have much of a place at Bowie. I didn’t have anything that I could dedicate my time to or was super passionate about. I took Journalism one as I have always been passionate about writing. Despite it being a rocky year with online school, I continued on the pathway and started newspaper in person. It naturally felt like a good fit and I became the Reviews editor, which I enjoyed so much. I found a passion that I had been searching for. I loved the process of writing, designing, and leading. 

Towards the end of my junior year, the opportunity to apply for Editor-in-Chief rolled around. I applied and made the position. This was such a moment to remember, I felt very accomplished. Senior year brought many challenges, however being able to lead the newspaper staff fulfilled me in so many ways. I absolutely enjoyed teaching every one of the students on staff and guiding them through the world of journalism. I have built so many incredible relationships through newspaper. I have grown close with many staff members who I did not know at the beginning of the year. I have also grown as a person tremendously.

I have learned to value my relationships and connection with others more than how others view me. Embracing my personality rather than being embarrassed of my traits is important for me to develop meaningful relationships with others, as well as strong leadership skills. I learned how to shift my mindset from being so worried about how I was perceived to knowing that my empathy is an asset to me. In fact, to me, showing emotion is essential to connecting with others in a genuine way. The ability to be open with others is a pathway to forming trust. Leadership is about more than having a title; it is about having the ability to inspire others by how you treat them. I hope to pursue more leadership positions in college that will allow me to use my ability to be vulnerable to encourage others to be confident in who they are. 

There are a few people that I would like to thank and recognize because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them:

To Family: If I tried to write everything I am grateful for that you have given me, there wouldn’t be enough time in the world. But I can start with the things I appreciate most.  Thank you for always making things happen for me, you have always been my number one supporters and constantly have my best interest at heart. You have done nothing but encourage, empower, support, and celebrate me with all my ambitions and accomplishments which I will be forever thankful for. Thank you for always being there for me from our family dinners and dance recitals in middle school to now driving me to college for orientation. Thank you to my sisters for always being people who I strive to set an example for, you have encouraged me to do my best in every scenario. I love and appreciate everything you do for me. 

To the leadership team: None of this would have been possible without you three. Our team work has made the hardest of times feel easier. I think we all brought something different to the table and it worked out so well. To Isabella– Your skills and passion for design inspire me everyday. I could not ask for a better co-Eic to help make decisions about the paper with. I have always trusted your ideas and I cannot thank you enough for also trusting mine. I am going to miss you. Thank you for always being the bad cop to my good cop. To Dimitri– Thank you for making newspaper a welcoming place for staff members. Thank you for doing contest entries when I didn’t have it in me to do them and fixing everyone’s computer problems. Thank you for being an outstanding person to work with and I appreciate how whenever I come to class you always remind me to never take it too seriously. I think that is something I will always remember in the future that you taught me. I appreciate how much you have supported me and Isabella and have been on our side. To Carey– Thank you for teaching me to be myself more. Thank you for being there when newspaper got just a little too overwhelming for me. Your ideas and journalistic skills have carried the Dispatch so far and I know you are going to make such a great journalist in college. You are such a beautiful person that I am honored to have been able to work by your side to run the Dispatch. Thank you for all of your hard work this year. I wanted to give Dylan a special shoutout for also helping with contest entries and giving up his seat in the van in San Francisco when I was sick and always being so kind. Thank you for being a key player in the success of the leadership team and carrying the Editorial page.

To my teachers: I know that teaching is a challenging job right now, but not a single one of my Bowie teachers has ever let this defeat them. I appreciate every single one of you and cannot thank you enough for always having my best interest at heart. In my time at Bowie, Ms. Lloyd, Ms. Rodriguez, and Ms. Walker have all helped me through three very challenging years of math, a subject in which I greatly struggle, yet all teachers have been incredibly outstanding and helped me when they weren’t obligated to. I also appreciate all the teachers I had during online school; Ms. McCaffrey, Ms. Lopez, Mr. Garcia, who all went above and beyond making sure students were okay during the pandemic. Lastly, I would like to thank Profe Walsh, my incredible Spanish teacher who showed that she was truly passionate about teaching and made Spanish a class to look forward to everyday. I wouldn’t be as accomplished as I am today without these dedicated Bowie staff members.

To Reeves: I appreciate everything you have done for us. You have given us so many incredible opportunities and have always believed in me, seeing that I was capable of great things. I see how much you sacrifice and dedicate to this program and it is admirable. Your teaching has inspired me to work hard, meet deadlines, and be the best student I can be. Thank you so much for always supporting me and my team.

To the Dispatch staff: This is one of the hardest goodbyes. You all are so inspiring and I am proud of each and every one of you. Whether we spoke twice the whole year or talked daily, you have made an impact on me. Teaching you how to write, design, answering questions, awarding staffer of the week have been some of the greatest joys of my time here at Bowie. I know that you all are going to go so far in life and you will continue to make the Dispatch a high level product after we leave. I am so honored to have been able to work with you and I probably learned more from you than you have from me. All of you are so talented and incredible humans. Next year will present you with challenges that you may not know how to face, but I believe that you are capable of anything. I can’t wait to see how the paper looks next year and good luck! I love you all!

Thank you to everyone who has helped me become the person I am today. I will be an incoming freshman at the University of Arkansas with a major in communications.

Love, 

Lucille Price