As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed writing. In middle school I started reading newspapers and magazines such as The Miami Herald, New York Times, TIME magazine, and Newsweek and I realized I wanted to focus my writing passion on journalism. But as I was only in middle school, there were few opportunities for me to explore this interest. Although there were new clubs for me to join in eighth grade, I was disappointed to find there was no journalism club. I was excited however to join the documentary club because it included writing and gave me an opportunity to express myself. The club enabled me to research a topic and write a script for the narrator. During my freshman year of high school I finally was able to take a journalism class taught by Miami Herald journalist, Mrs. Harvey-Rosenberg. I learned a tremendous amount and the class fueled my interest in journalism. However this year, there is no journalism class for me to take and my school does not have a newspaper to which I can contribute. I want to join Teens Speak so I can continue my writing and gain experience writing in a journalistic setting. I hope being part of the Teen Speaks program will allow me to create a portfolio to submit to a journalism school such as the University of Florida College of Journalism and further my exposure to journalists and journalism.