When Emily Jones, Senior, moved here to Stockbridge her Junior year, it was a new and frightening experience. “It can be really intimidating, to look at a classroom full of people where any of them could just not like you,” Jones said.

Branching out is a part of growing up, and has been a big part in Jones’s life. While a first year at a new school can easily leave anyone scared silly, Jones thinks of the memory fondly. “And there were times where I didn’t like [moving] at all, because I ended up talking to people that weren’t necessarily that nice. But there were also people that I met that made me glad that I met them. It was a good experience,” Jones said.

Another way that Jones had to branch out was with her interests and hobbies. She had wanted to do Creative Writing since she was a Freshman, though only found the chance to last year. “I had never wrote stories like this and presented them to anyone before… it made me more confident in my writing and presenting.”

Now, Jones does anything writing-related that she can get her hands on. Staff on Uncaged, Yearbook, taking AP Literature and Composition and signing up for Creative Writing again.

“So that kind of made me branch out a little bit,” Jones said.

It’s safe to say that Jones is a inspiration for trying new things and tackling new adventures. From moving to a new school to taking up new hobbies, change can be scary. But sometimes, it’s a great way to help you branch out.