Dear Verrado,

Throughout my years here, I have grown, learned new things, expanded my horizons, and challenged myself as hard as possible. Through all the people I’ve met and the memories I’ve made, most future experiences in life will never compare. Even when times were tough, Verrado has always been able to keep things sane, recoup us, and unite us as a big, slightly dysfunctional family.

Freshman year was either amazing or horrific for the 2024 class, not much of an in-between. Covid-19 became a major nationwide issue, causing almost all of our favorite things, and school, to close down. For me, I loved it. I mean, think about it, you’re a 14-year-old boy asked to sit on a computer in his room all day, it’s almost a dream come true! Not to mention the countless hours spent playing GTA or having fun doing quite literally anything. Sorry to any teachers reading this, your efforts did not go unnoticed, but it was too good of an opportunity.

Sophomore year was one of the most fun years of my life. I would end up coming back to school after some online/hybrid learning, which is when I would begin to form my high school friend group. And while friend groups change and morph around, my foundation was solid for the most part and I’ve remained close with most all of the same guys, who I appreciate a ton. This was also the year that I truly started to ask myself the question, “What do I want to do in life?”. At first, I had always had an interest in cooking, so that’s the route I figured I’d go. I began working at Culvers on Verrado Way, and wished every day that we had culinary classes here at Verrado High School.

Moving into Junior year, I would end up not getting the greatest setup for the year. I had no classes with friends, and I didn’t even have lunch with them. It was honestly not a fun first few months, but then I was introduced to my passion, future, and happy place, Journalism. I actually never really signed up for this class; however, photography was full, and I was placed in here as a backup.

As I began to write, I had no clue exactly what I was supposed to do. I was constantly asking my teacher what to write about, how to word stuff, and lots of other things that seem so obvious now. She told me to go for something I really love so that I would actually be interested, and casually mentioned sports, which would shape out to be an amazing idea. I started off with short stories at an inexperienced level, things like Volleyball and Badminton. But as I progressed, I would learn that there’s SO much more to Journalism than just “having to write a bunch”.

I began to write about things I was super interested in, such as the NBA or NFL, and realized that it can actually be incredibly fun to just type out every thought you have on a certain topic, and then narrow it down to a concise point for viewers to have lingering on their minds. Through Journalism, I would get the idea to start up my very own sports podcast with some friends, now known as “The Winning Streak” on social platforms.

This year, my senior year, I would continue to expand and improve the podcast, gaining a small community of fans. I would also begin my photography career this year, the class that almost stopped me from learning the true beauty of journalism, and all the many things it truly provides to me. As well as Journalism, this year has been incredibly fun in terms of classes, events, friends, and so much more. Being a senior has helped me understand the true dedication and fun that comes from Verrado High School, and I am forever grateful for the fact that it put my life plans right in my lap for me.

Sincerely,
Bryson Taylor