For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about creative writing. Capstone allowed me to combine this storytelling passion, my interest in social issues, and my dream of working toward publishing a novel into one project that has been the highlight of my time in high school.

I knew I wanted to write about a subject I thought was underrepresented in literature—queer history—and eventually landed on the idea of a fantasy story taking place during real historical events. Inspiration struck over the summer before my junior year, and before I knew it I had typed my way through an opening chapter: immigrants on a sixteenth-century boat, hope in their eyes and magical secret-keepers in their midst. 

By the end of the school year, I had a complete draft, but these opening scenes were what I submitted to the YoungArts competition, for which I won a finalist award in novel writing and was invited to Florida for a week of workshops, seminars, and performances with other young writers from across the country. It was an incredible and highly influential experience for me that would not have been possible without the help and guidance of my teachers and community members here at Laurel. After finishing my manuscript that May—while reading Stepping Out and an immoderate amount of old newspapers and diaries for research—I began to look for ways to go further. I am currently working with a developmental editor to refine the ideas in the first draft of my story, and after a thorough revision, I hope to query my novel for publication.

In all, Capstone has taught me more about my interests, my prospective career path, and where it could take me than I ever expected to receive before graduating. I look forward to what’s to come!