Features: A Message from Claes Nobel A Message from Outgoing Student Council Advisory Board Highlights New Student Council College-Bound Advice The Value of Taking AP Classes Begin College Applications Now My Take on the SAT Getting a Head Start Never Hurt Anybody Spotlight on Service -- From your own Backyard to a Nicaragua Village The Power of Committed Citizens -- Helping the Poor in Nicaragua J.M.H. Academy Volunteer Effort -- Cordele, Georgia, Health and Rehabilitation Center Giving Back to Your Local Community Special Opportunities -- Students Take Advantage of Exciting Programs AFS Exchange Program -- Living in Brazil Summer Business Institute -- LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) Summer in Switzerland for Natasa Kovasevic Food for Thought For the Devout Carb-Quitters: New Bread that is Literally Nothing Living Successfully Getting a Head Start Never Hurt Anybody by Mike Marino Pope John XXIII High School Branchville, New Jersey My name is Mike Marino and a sophomore in high school in northern New Jersey. I run cross-country, play basketball, and play baseball for one of the most competitive sports schools in the state. I love to play sports, and am very good at it, and I am also a huge sports fan. Now that I have told you a little about myself, I'm going to tell you a story. I am interested in journalism and hope to pursue journalism in college. But I have started before college and I currently write for many websites and papers. I am a huge sports fan, so I provide analysis and opinions for many papers. I currently write for four papers and am the head sports reporter on one. I don't get paid for this. So you may ask, what is the point of working so hard if you don't get paid? I do it because I love it and I like to do it. I work hard doing this every night and write an article every night. I write for these websites because not only am I helping them out and making their websites more popular, I am also establishing myself as a writer, and I now get lots of fan mail from various people who like to talk to me about sports. I want to pursue journalism in college, and I hope that I may have finally figured out what I would like to do in the future. It is like a dream job for me. I am as big as a sports fan that you will find, and I have strong journalism talents. Sometime soon, I hope to find one that will pay me, but until then, I love writing, and I love sports, so I will continue sports journalism for the papers that I currently work for, and I love it. So what I would like to tell all of you is, get an early start. An early start never hurt anybody. Get your foot in the door and you're sure to make it. What's stopping you from starting whatever you want to do? It's like a race; if you were given the chance to take a head start, why wouldn't you? My advice to all of you is to take your head start, and do something that you love. Note: Some of Mike's articles can be found at these sites: http://www.nyyfans.com/staff.php?a=archive&userid=93&curmonth=May&curyear=2004 http://magic-city-news.com/cat_index_4.shtml << Back to Journal Home page