Commentary_Crocs_Phillipian_Illustration (10-1-24)
I reminisce back to the moment I entered Snyder for the club rally as a Freshman. My heart thumped so hard against my chest at the sight of the countless booths spread across the floor of Snyder and the overload of energy from all the students advertising newcomers to join their club. By the end of the day, my social energy was completely drained from being peer-pressured into joining 20 different email lists, but the night of the club rally is one of my favorite memories of my freshman year at Andover. I still vividly remember the tingles I got afterward from anticipating what opportunities were waiting for me in the coming year.
Despite my enthusiasm for joining new clubs, I didn’t go to at least half of the meetings and didn’t start writing for The Phillipian right away. Although I did want to write for The Phillipian sometime during my years at Andover, the process of writing an article was always pushed aside as English essays came out and biology lab reports knocked at my door. It took me a term and a half to finally decide I was going to write for The Phillipian, and I couldn’t have imagined that it would become one of my biggest passions at Andover. But that pivotal discovery was made in the most arbitrary way ever.
In January 2024, I was having a normal night at Andover when my brain shouted out random thoughts right as I was falling asleep. Ever since I was young, I’ve always been a curious and creative person, asking my parents why tree barks are so jagged, pondering why I got so angry at my brother for petty matters, and jotting down random movie or story plot ideas from my nightmares. So, on the night of January 2024, I started to jot down my ideas as usual when it occurred to me that I had a whole list of interesting observations from my life just sitting in the Notes app on my phone. Why not do something with it? That’s when I decided that I was going to spend some hours on my weekends writing my first Phillipian article.
Ever since writing the article, I found myself wanting to come back to doing it. Seeing my articles published in a newspaper, I felt a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and a burgeoning heat at the core of my chest. Something about writing affected my soul, and being able to open my chest of ideas and reveal them to the world was such a refreshing stimulus to me.
In Commentary, you have to further your interesting observations or knowledge into a meaningful stance on a topic. There have been times when I was frustrated by this rule, especially when I had concerns in my mind but didn’t know what to conclude from it or how to guide others to make change. Although I struggled with creating my voice around those topics, I’ve grown to find the value in Commentary’s philosophy of taking a stance: it localizes Commentary from other newspapers outside of The Phillipian. It also is an active, authorized sanctuary where students can publish their own opinions. The uniqueness of Commentary stems from the minds of Andover students, and the localized nature of Commentary makes honesty intrinsic. You don’t need lavish wording or sophisticated knowledge to contribute an article to Commentary. The focus is not necessarily on professionalism or bravado. Genuine concern and passion that penetrate the minds of the readers are what you need to write an authentic and surprisingly effortless Commentary article.
To me, Commentary is a venue where I write my identity into existence. My articles extend a piece of myself in hopes that there would be a reader who needs my words. It’s my way of being influential, showing care for my community, and being true to myself. I feel a sense of agency when I decide on the topics for my Commentary articles and articulate my airy thoughts into tangible words. I find myself solidifying as I refine my logical flow and the clarity in my string of ideas. I feel empowered to contribute to the Commentary community, and I’m grateful to have access to such space. Writing for Commentary helped me realize that I love writing, showed me what beliefs I have, and gave me security in my life at Andover. Perhaps, you’ll also find your home in writing for Commentary.
