Veronica Mangine: Amid my science-heavy schedule, Harbinger taught me that it can be beneficial to branch out

I was 11 when I watched my first episode of “ER.” 

My dad was watching it in our living room and I couldn’t sleep so I came down to see what was on TV. George Clooney appeared on the screen, saving lives and stealing hearts, and I fell in love — not only with hot doctors — but with medicine.

Throughout high school, I’ve taken almost every science class offered, totaling nine by the time I receive my cap and gown. Some call it excessive, but when you’re set on becoming a doctor in the fifth grade, every test tube and microscope feels like a step towards your life long goal.

When I was choosing my classes for junior year, I scanned the course catalog when something unexpected caught my eye — Harbinger. With two science classes already penciled into my schedule, joining the newspaper seemed like a detour from my set path in science. But with a little convincing from my friends, I applied, and I was shocked to learn it wasn’t just an easy A.

Tools like Adobe InDesign and Illustrator were foreign to someone whose strengths were in lab reports and equations. I had to tap into my creative side and design pages from scratch. 

There were numerous moments where I felt like hurling my MacBook when it crashed from all the links I downloaded or setting the J-room on fire when I was hours behind on my design, but I persevered, thanks to the support of my friends and editors. As I transitioned into senior year, I discovered just how much I enjoyed the people on staff, and not so much the actual designing part. I spent my days annoying my friends in the backroom and staying up till 2 a.m. packaging pages (a.k.a. watching “Smash or Pass” videos in Avery’s basement.)

While pen tooling or photoshopping may not directly translate to the ER, the lessons I learned in Harbinger will. Through Harbinger, I’ve cultivated my creativity and communication skills that will benefit any career path. Every lesson or skill I’ve learned from staff will help me succeed in medicine and maybe even wooing a hot doctor one day.