As I look back on my time with The Oracle, I wish I could say it was filled only with joy and pride—but the reality is more complex. While there are friendships and memories I’ll always cherish like attending Journalism Education Association’s (JEA) annual national conference for high school journalists, in Boston and Philadelphia, they’ve often been overshadowed by difficult experiences that have been hard to move past. But if I’ve learned anything this year it is the ability to push past adversity.

This past year has been one of the most challenging chapters for me as an editor. I’ve learned to work through differences in opinion, accept decisions made within the hierarchy, navigate technology and security issues, and to set my emotions aside before leaving the classroom. An uneventful day was a good day, having me skip onto my next challenge—whether it was soccer practice, working out with my trainer, a volunteer job, or just to my car to drive home.

However, through rough times it’s important to remember all the good memories, not let the bad ones overpower them.

To me, resiliency is learning to balance the good with the bad while looking at each independently. One unexciting day, a positive comment on an article I wrote, or an attractive page I created can overcome a difficult stretch in class. I have become a better journalist along the way, understanding the importance of resiliency and sharing my experiences with others.

As I close this chapter as a high schooler, I want to remind others it’s not the organization that makes an experience great, it’s you and the work you put into it. It’s your personal perseverance through the whirlwind of emotions working with people who don’t always see eye-to-eye with you.

Don’t ever give up!