For many, high school interests do not turn into college majors. Senior co-editors-in-chief Emily Houde and Logan Smith took their love of design and applied it to yearbook production. Now in the homestretch of their days as high school students, they both have decided to continue their passion for journalism in college.

“I am staying home for the first couple of years and going to Oakland Community College,” Smith said. “I want to transfer to the Michigan State School of Journalism, but I am not 100 percent sure yet.”

Senior Emily Houde is taking a different approach to her journalistic path.

“I’m going into integrative public relations at Central Michigan University,” Houde said. “That’s the only school that has that course, so it’s pretty new, and it includes journalism, photojournalism, public relations and other stuff like marketing.”

Houde doesn’t want to exclude herself from other opportunities, which is why she chose that particular major.

“With this major, I’m getting a more broad understanding than just journalism so I can have more career options,” Houde said.

The experiences that come with Smith’s plans are what really draw him in.

“If I could ideally do one thing, I would want to be some sort of traveling journalist,” Smith said. “I have always wanted to go overseas into war or into a refugee crisis. I am OK with not settling down for awhile. I like constantly seeing places and talking to new people.”

Houde is excited for her future endeavors, but not everyone in her life agrees with her choices.

“They’re like, ‘Oh you want to be a starving artist?’ and I would rather be in a small house and be a little hungry and love my job than be living comfortably and hating going to work every day,” she said. “I’m not going to force myself to be something else.”

‘To live your passions’ is the thought process Smith has decided works for him and his happiness.

“I want to go into journalism because I know math and science isn’t my thing,” Smith said. “I am fine at it, but I don’t enjoy doing it, whereas I look forward to going to yearbook every day and I have for the past three years.”

Houde’s passion started at a young age thanks to her mother.

“I’ve been taking pictures for a long time, and my mom is a photographer, so I’ve been using Photoshop since I was seven,” Houde said. “I used to assist her in photoshoots and even co-shot with her; I eventually started doing my own stuff.