Introductions

Hello people of Blogger! I don't think we've met before.

Hi, my name is Katie. I'm a high school junior from Florida.

A little about myself:

I'm a self proclaimed nerd; I once wrote a story about chocolate milk and M&M's falling from the sky; I love John Green -- go nerd fighters; I tend to fall both down and up the stairs a lot; I procrastinate too often.

I guess, since I'm a high schools student, I'm obliged to talk about my plans for the future.

I will study journalism at the University of Florida (Notice how I said "I will study," rather than "I want to study." That sentence alone portrays my undying determination to become part of the Gator Nation.)

I fell in love with UF after attending their Summer Journalism Institute in 2012. Before I visited UF, I had no interest in attending the infamous, alcohol infused party school.

 After developing relationships with the college's renowned professors and remarkable students and working in the college's state of the art newsroom, I can't see myself going anywhere else.

My love for journalism didn't come as easy.

SJI 2012 was essentially my first interaction with journalism.

Even after having such a fun week at camp, I wasn't completely sold on the career. The long hours, the low pay, the vending machine diets and the current instability of the industry terrified me.

When I began writing for a local paper, though, my mindset completely changed.

The first serious story I ever wrote for my local paper was about a cancer survivor who was trying to raise awareness for her particular cancer, lymphoma.

Several people had told this lady that her cancer was unremarkable. People refused to offer her a shoulder to cry on because they felt her cancer wasn't that bad. Apparently, an unmentioned publication refused to interview her, saying lymphoma is not a notable cancer, since it isn't backed by a pink ribbon.

One of my mentor's catchphrases is, "Every person has a story."

When I wrote the article about this lady, I realized that while every one had a story, not every one has the power to tell it. Not everyone is capable of getting their message across.

I'm hoping that a career in journalism will help me give voices to the voiceless. Maybe I'll write another story about a cancer patient who was condemned for not having the "right type of cancer." Maybe I'll do a feature on a foster kid who was abused by the employees at an orphanage. Or maybe I'll help a victim of crime tell their story.

To all of those reading this, don't be shy! Introduce yourself in the comments :)