It’s 4:13 p.m. on a Sunday in July, and rising senior Mariah Hyter is outside James Madison University’s Gifford Hall, participating in a writing activity for the VAJTA’s JCamp. This coming year, Hyter, who hails from Manassas, VA, will be Editor-in-Chief of Colgan High School’s Shark Tales yearbook for the first time. In preparation, she’s spending a week at JCamp to build on her journalism and leadership skills.
Two years ago, Hyter, then a sophomore, walked into a meeting to schedule classes with her counselor, unaware that she was about to find her calling. “I had to pick out my classes…all the electives were filled, so I was forced to take yearbook,” Hyter said. “When I went [in the classroom], there were only ten kids because everyone dropped the class.”
Based on her first impressions of the class, Hyter thought her time in yearbook would be “terrible,” but the class was actually a blessing in disguise. “I ended up loving it,” Hyter said. “I became an editor right away, which I was so surprised by. Joining the yearbook and newspaper helped me make so many friends with people that I would never meet in my life. It was a good way for me to make friends and broaden my horizons. If I’d never joined yearbook, I probably wouldn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. Nor would I have any friends because sometimes I know that I can be in my own bubble, but being forced to be social, it helps a lot.”
Since sophomore year, Hyter has stuck with yearbook and has started working on Colgan’s newspaper, The Current. “I had already made my friends, and I just loved it so much, and I knew that I was going to be editor next year, so I [decided to stay],” Hyter said. “I love talking to people, and the privileges that you get in yearbook are crazy. I can get into football games to take pictures, and being on the football field and taking pictures, and taking pictures of the crowd, it’s just amazing.”
Despite her initial misgivings about the class, Hyter ended up loving yearbook. Now she looks forward to her last year in yearbook, one that is sure to be consumed by taking pictures, spending time with friends and positive memories.