Building Character for Life and Yearbook: Why The Key to Winning the Long Game Matters for Students

Creating a yearbook is much more than designing pages and meeting deadlines. For students, it’s a real-world training ground where they learn to lead, collaborate, problem-solve, and persevere. The skills they develop in the yearbook room often shape how they approach future challenges in college, the workplace, and beyond.

That’s why we’re excited to share Building Character: The Key to Winning the Long Game, co-authored by United Yearbook’s CEO, Sarah Tse, and Yearbook Representative, Jessica Carrera. Together, they bring two distinct perspectives: Sarah, a seasoned leader drawing on years of faith-based leadership experience, and Jessica, a young professional navigating her early career. This combination makes the book both inspiring and relatable for students.

Why Yearbook Students Will Benefit

1. Character Builds Trust and Teamwork

Every yearbook team is only as strong as its members. Members build community and trust when they work together to meet a common goal. To create the yearbook, students must meet deadlines, manage difficult relationships, and stay organized. The result is that a foundation of trust is built experience by experience. The Key to Winning the Long Game reinforces the idea that character, honesty, responsibility, and humility are the foundation of teamwork.

”When they know you won’t take shortcuts or bend the rules when it’s convenient, they trust you with more. And that kind of trust can’t be bought—it’s earned, one hard decision at a time.” 1

When students practice this now, they carry it with them into internships, careers, and leadership roles.

2. Resilience Matters When Things Go Wrong

Every adviser and student knows the reality: photos are missed, pages need rework, and sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Rather than becoming discouraged, The Key to Winning the Long Game encourages students to view obstacles as opportunities for growth. 

“There’s a humility in being honest about our imperfections. When we own up to our mistakes and share them with others, we invite collaboration, trust, and shared growth.” 2

Resilience, patience, and perseverance are not just lessons for the book world; they’re life lessons.

3. Purpose Brings Meaning to the Work

Yearbooks capture the heart of a school year; the stories, friendships, and milestones that define a community. Similarly, careers become meaningful when they’re guided by purpose. This book helps students explore how their values and faith can guide their work and future decisions, reminding them that true success isn’t about quick wins, but about who they’re becoming in the process.

“The real fruit of our work often isn’t measured in metrics—it’s found in the friendships and mutual respect built over time.” 3

Why This Book Is Different

What makes The Key to Winning the Long Game particularly meaningful for high school students is that it’s co-authored by someone who once sat in their seat. Jessica, a yearbook representative, writes from the perspective of someone who has recently navigated the transition from student to professional. Her reflections make the lessons in this book relatable, helping students see that character-building isn’t out of reach; it’s something they can start practicing right now.

The Takeaway

Yearbook advisers often say their staff learns just as much about life as they do about design or photography. The Key to Winning the Long Game is the perfect companion to those yearbook lessons, reminding students that their choices today are shaping who they’ll become tomorrow. By reading this book, they’ll walk away encouraged, challenged, and inspired to keep building character that lasts.

Get the eBook for just $0.99 for a limited time here!

1 Building Character: The Key to Winning the Long Game Pg. 22

2 Building Character: The Key to Winning the Long Game Pg. 27

3 Building Character: The Key to Winning the Long Game Pg. 59

---

Copyright © 2025. TSE Worldwide Press. All Rights Reserved.

Contributor: Jessica Carrera, Associate Editor at TSE Worldwide Press and Marketing Coordinator at United Yearbook, holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing from Biola University. She aspires to touch the lives of others through her words.

Editor: Donna Ladner obtained a B.A. in Education and a minor in English from California Baptist University, and a M.S. in ESL from USC, Los Angeles. After she married Daniel, their family moved to Indonesia with a non-profit organization and lived cross-culturally for 15 years before returning to the U.S in 2012. Donna has been working as an editor and proofreader for TSE Worldwide Press and its subsidiary, United Yearbook since 2015.