Anna Mitchell: How Harbinger helped me put my blabber mouth to use

Tate had known the Mitchell family for eight years before I entered the J-Room for my first semester on Harbinger, so naturally he just had to publicly embarrass me. That entailed being sat down at the front of the room in front of 20 other kids, Tate slapping on a backwards baseball cap and grilling me with odd interview questions while wobbling on a skateboard: “What’s your favorite colorrrr?” in a funky, country accent. 

Today I’d probably embarrass him back but as a nervous freshman, my face turned tomato red. Despite my desire to disappear back in that moment, I knew that Harbinger would continue to help me grow — as a writer, designer and conversationalist.

From the day I started walking to now as I write my last-ever Harbinger story, I’ve been a conversationalist — chatting up toddlers as I babysit, teachers in the classroom, my best friends to strangers in the line at the airport.

Adults were shocked by my young maturity when my four-year-old, three-foot-tall and bob-and-bang self responded to “How are you little squirt?” with “I’m good, how are you?” 

But they shouldn’t have been surprised because I grew up in a house of three older siblings who are six, eight and nine years older. Basically, I was thrown into chaos straight out of the hospital crib. I had no choice but to be dragged along to every rec soccer practice, brutal dentist appointment, long Girl Scout meeting and ice cream social on the Corinth Elementary blacktop.

And it made me talk. All the time. To anyone.

15 years later, my chatty childhood has prepared me for an activity that thrives off communication and social butterflies: the newspaper. My talkativeness started to serve a greater purpose, adjusting for interviews with Kansas politicians, Californian surfers and CEOs. 

Rather than getting queasy at the thought of interrogating someone for my next news story, I craved meeting sources with vast backgrounds, hearing the passion that keeps them up at night or the struggle that sends them to bed with aching feet and drooping eyes. My first-ever interview during my J-1 class with a fellow student did give me nervous butterflies, but being a part of this publication helped iron out those bumps.

As I walked into the annual journalism board showcase as a second grader, only really looking at the pictures and snatching candy off tables, I never envisioned myself following both my sisters who had been involved in journalism at East. 

Oddly enough, I found myself creating my own work and tri fold board for the past three years — still mainly focused on the candy though. I’ve created friendships in the back room, bonding over the struggles of being a Harbling while eating deadline dinners and facing Tate’s critiques. I’m happy to say Harbinger prepared me for my future and allowed my blabbermouth to be put to good use with the best possible people around me.