By: Darius Thornton

Ello! My name is Darius Thornton and I am new to newspaper this year. I’m a junior now, which is still hard to believe. Seems like only yesterday I was roaming these halls for the first time and now I’ve started the latter half of my high school career. It’s all downhill from here, right? More things to worry about, from thinking about college applications, scrambling to get class credits, and all the added responsibilities that come with being in the third year of high school. I actually need to start thinking about the future in-depth now. In a little under two years, I’ll be off to some college to really start setting myself up for the future. That really puts things into perspective.

Existential crisis aside, I’m currently 16 years old. I grew up in Durham, North Carolina and lived there for the vast majority of my life. Three years ago, I moved to Wake Forest, where I will most likely stay for the remainder of high school. Moving was definitely an adjustment, Durham definitely wasn’t the best city but it was where I grew up and I consider it to be a big part of who I am. Wake Forest is cool too though. There’s seemingly something to do at every corner. With that as a segway, I guess I should talk about some of the things I like to do. I’m a big fan of sports, particularly basketball and football, both of which I watch pretty often. I enjoy playing sports too, having played soccer growing up, as well as basketball for a little bit (in spite of me having asthma). My favorite sports teams are the Los Angeles Lakers, Carolina Panthers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Writing has long been another one of my favorite pastimes. I’ve been writing seriously for around five or six years now, primarily fiction. Currently, I’m actually working on a manuscript, which as been in the works for around three years now. I hope to major in creative writing and one day become a published author or screenplay writer. I don’t exactly know what it is about writing that captivates me but I’m positive that it’s my passion. My love for it is actually one of the main reasons I decided to take this class. I’m eager to learn and grow as a writer, which I’m sure I’ll do here.

Well, aside from my hopes and dreams, I am also a bit of a nerd. Star Wars, Marvel and DC are really some of my all-time favorite things. I read a lot of comics growing up and have a pretty expansive collection. Essentially, I’m that one guy who watches the movies and knows almost every single character they introduce, beforehand. In terms of television shows, I watch a lot of anime, primarily things like Dragon Ball and Full Metal Alchemist. I’m a gigantic fan of movies and other than comic book films and Star Wars, horror would be my favorite genre.

Whoops, haven’t talked about my family yet. I live with my mom, dad and little brother, who are all very supportive of me, in whatever I do (though my brother can be a pain sometimes. he means well). My mom actually got me into writing, go figure, right? She’s an English Major and something of an aspiring author herself. Alright, time for a lightning round. I’ve never had a pet for longer than two years, I was 12 pounds at birth, I’ve been described by some as, “a sarcastic bundle of joy”, didn’t know Montana was a place until sixth grade and my favorite genre of music is 90’s rap. Oh, and I also found out Santa wasn’t real one Christmas when I was 7, because I was being a brat and my mom told me as punishment. The death of my childhood innocence, ladies and gentlemen.

Newspaper will definitely prove to be a new experience that I will embrace head-on. With my articles, I hope to bring attention to real-world issues, undercovered topics and things that are happening throughout the world, to keep everyone, including myself, informed and up to date on anything and everything.