Musician, singer, however you say it, there’s no escaping the harsh truth — I’m a choir nerd. There, I said it. Not only am I dorky enough to sign up for an educational institute for a week in the SUMMER, I also align myself with the losers who listen to Pentatonix covers for fun.

I love singing for the same reasons I love to write; I can push the personal limits of what I can do (vocally or academically), while creating art in the process.

Going into this week at HSJI, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew I’d learn some new things, maybe make a few friends, but I was terrified of not fitting in or feeling out of place. Eight days is a long time to be surrounded by strangers.

What I didn’t expect, however, was to find the same sense of community here as I do in the choir classroom of Reynolds High School. At school, every math, history and PE class is filled with 20-30 kids who don’t want to be there but have to be to graduate. Choir, though, choir is different. In 2nd period each day from 9:36 to 11:08, 45 people I consider my friends gather to do what we love — making music to be proud of.

Here at the high school journalism program, I’ve found the same sense of community in just a week with the 17 other like-minded teenagers who love to write and report. Most of us want to go into the same field as each other, and that thought connects us. Even those who don’t want to pursue journalism still appreciate the art of reporting. It feels good to be surrounded by people who have the same interests as me.

This week, I’ve felt the same rush typing out a passionate, colorful line as I do squeezing out a high C. I’ve felt the same determined tenacity to improve when receiving notes from my editor on a draft as I do when I receive notes at a vocal competition. I’ve felt the same joy in my heart while dancing in my PJs with my newfound friends while getting ready for bed as I do dancing during karaoke with my friends in choir. (Apparently teenage girls do a lot of spontaneous dancing.)

And I know that next week, when the stories that us high school journalists have been working on for the last seven days FINALLY come out, I will feel as accomplished and proud as I do after a successful concert solo.

My two biggest passions, writing and journalism, singing and choir, are more similar than I had previously believed. I am so grateful I was able to come to the High School Journalism Institute and meet all these extraordinary people and work on my craft. I will never forget this experience.

My peers, who yesterday overheard me belting an Adele song in our dorm stairwell, probably wish I had stayed home.

-- Erin Reaney, Reynolds High School

This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to oregnolive.com/hsji.