Letter from the Editor

Dear Reader,

Since my last editorial letter, I’ve thought a lot about what I would write for my next one. After all, it is the middle of the school year, at a point where we’re uncertain how the rest of the year (and for us seniors, the rest of our high school careers) will play out. Many of us are likely waiting for some kind of uncertainty to be settled; you may be wondering what graduation going to look like or whether you’ll be accepted to a program, among other questions. As we’re pondering such questions, though, now is more than a period of waiting.

Last semester, I was writing about the person I was for my college applications. Now, while I’m no longer writing college applications, I think it’s important that I continue to be that person. And since I started thinking about college applications last year, I’ve come to recognize that constantly striving to be a more open-minded, genuinely interesting person and being intentional with everything you do will help you more in your college admissions process and beyond than any particular activity or award—something that’s easy to say but requires some consistent effort to internalize and live by.

Along the same lines, Pixel Journal isn’t about showcasing the accomplishments of members of our community as much as it is about showcasing the intentions that go into what they do, from their academics to their outside pursuits to their everyday interactions with others. We’re beginning to add “5 questions” prompts at the end of interview articles—in the style of our old “20 questions” series—to give you a chance to hear the voices of the interviewees themselves while also reading a full narrative writeup from someone else’s point of view. In the next few months, I’m excited to see how we continue to find new ways to further the Journal’s mission.

Finally, I hope that you will enjoy reading our latest articles! This issue features interviews with English instructor Dr. Russell and OHS seniors Lokaa Krishna and Pooja Kalyan, alongside our February playlist and an article on volunteering with nonprofits from the Community Engagement Club. As always, let us know if there’s anything new you want to see from the Journal; we’re always open to new suggestions and contributions.

Cheers,

Paige