Q: How did you get into newswriting?

A: “Ever since I was in elementary school I loved writing creative stories. I’d make up my own characters, and I’d write stories for them. And then when I got into junior high, I saw that newswriting was an option to take, and I took it, and I loved it, and here I am.”

Q: How do you manage your time between school work, clubs, and athletics?

A: “I just divide the year into zones, so to speak. So there’s different months where I prioritize different things. For example, right now, there’s a math competition coming up; I’m setting that above everything else. But I’m also working on a newswriting election story. So I’m prioritizing that as well. So it just depends on the time of year and time management.”

Q: When you do research for an article, what details do you pay the most attention to?

A: “So for feature, which is what I usually write, I like to figure out who it is I’m going to talk to and try to find out as much as I can online, especially if it’s more of a public figure, and not just at AAHS. I like to talk to people like students that might have that certain teacher that I’m going to interview and just see what they’re like.”

Q: What has been your favorite article that you have written?

A: “I’m going to have to say it’s really hard to choose. From this year I loved writing my feature story on the icosahedrons that Mrs. Irwin’s class was doing. That’s my favorite story from this year. But honestly, I wish I could give a better answer. I can’t choose. Every story I really put in all of my work, so I can’t tell you overall.”

Q: What types of articles are you planning to write?

A: “I started the year off with an opinion piece, which I actually didn’t think I was going to but I wanted to voice my opinion on that.  I was very passionate about the pep rally, so I wrote about it. But for the rest of the year going forward, I’m hoping to focus more on feature stories because that’s what I’ve been doing the last few years, and it’s also what I like the most.”

Q: What has been your best newswriting memory at high school?

A: “My freshman year, we went to Columbia University for their conference. We spent about a week there, just attending sessions and seeing the university and the surrounding areas. It was amazing. The travel to and from was so-so, but the time there was absolutely amazing. I was blown away. And I learned so much from the speakers that were there. It just really helped me improve. But of course, the social aspect was also amazing. I got to go to restaurants and see different things. That’s definitely my favorite memory.”

Q: What story do you most regret not writing about?

A: “My freshman year was just starting to get into the certain extracurricular activities and clubs here. So I didn’t report as much on math and sciences that year. So I probably wish I would have done a little bit more than that, and I’m doing that this year and last year as well. Freshman year, I was just getting into Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences, and didn’t really know how that worked. So I didn’t know ahead of time when stories could be written about things.”

Q: Does your diverse background help you at all in news writing?

A: “I really try to focus on the stories that I write to get diverse interviewees and also to focus on things that might not be talked about as much, such as dual citizenship and students that come here from different countries. So I guess my background just makes me more aware of those things and helps me cover those things in the newspaper which I think should also be represented.”

Q: What advice would you give to anyone who wants to get into newswriting?

A: “I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but I’m going to say it anyway. Once you first get into it, there’s all these rules that you have to follow and structure that you have to follow. But honestly, once you know them, don’t feel afraid to break them because sometimes that is going to be the difference between an okay story and a great story. Sometimes you can just bend the rules a little bit and it makes your story that much better. That’s just my personal opinion. I really think if you go beyond what is expected, you’re going to have a great story.”

Q: Do you plan to continue writing even after you graduate?

A: “If the opportunity presents itself, and I have time between college and all the other stuff that’s going to be going on, definitely. It’s just my creative outlet, I just love expressing myself, my opinion pieces but also sharing other people’s stories and voices and features. So, if I can, I definitely will.”