“Art is about building a new foundation, not just laying something on top of what’s already there.” – Prince

Maricellyn McDonald (she/her) is a 17 year old senior at Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She is currently working on completing her International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma and has always prioritized education and learning through her life. She is a member of her school mock trials team, creative writing club, and book club among many other endeavors. She is also the number two player on her school’s varsity tennis team.

Rissy is a music enthusiast and prides herself on her vinyl collection. She self-identifies as a creative and often finds herself reaching for a paint brush or chalk pastel to channel and express her beliefs, experiences, and joys in life.

Rissy is intent on using her knowledge and understanding of the world to expand equity, justice and love to people of all walks of life. She has been involved with organizations, like EveryBlackGirl, inc. and Justice For Black Girls, which center Black girls and their experiences. In any way that she can, Rissy uses her voice to support, advocate for and empower marginalized people across the world.

Above all, Rissy is a writer in all the many facets of her life. She currently serves as the co-editor-in-chief of “The Saber”, her school’s online news publication. Though most of Rissy’s writing tends to tackle socio-political issues ; abortion bans, gender justice and the lives of working high school students, she has also dabbled in book reviews, feature stories and local stories. In Rissy’s personal time, she spends hours writing journal entries and poetry relating to her intersectional experience as a Black girl navigating life in the South. In 2020, her poetry was shown in an online exhibition “#blackgirlpoetry” through the organization, Black Womxn Healing.

Rissy aspires to write professionally in any way, shape, or form. She has a deep passion for journalism but also hopes to explore novel writing with inspiration from young adult writers like Phil Stamper, Kalynn Bayron and Adib Khorram. Her greatest hope is that her writing can be used to center, support and empower people of intersectional identities. She believes that writing is the key to any social change or progress.

Find Rissy @rissy_mc on instagram and twitter.

Poet. Writer. Creator. Advocate. Lover. Dreamer.

My name is Xiomara Clarke. I was born in Atlanta and live in Gwinnett County, Georgia. I am a rising junior and I went to Mill Creek High School, but I recently got redistricted to a new school.

My journalism experience is very limited because my schedule was full, but going to a new school, I hope to become involved in more journalism activities. I always had an interest in talking and writing, but I never decided to explore more into these fields.

When we were stuck in quarantine, I was bored, so I watched a lot of sports. I watched ESPN every day, and I looked up to some of the famous sports broadcasters and I realized that I wanted to do that as well. I am at this camp to learn more about what it takes to be a journalist and also improve my writing skills.

Aside from journalism, I play the violin and I play tennis. I don’t have my mind set on an exact career, but I know I want to do journalism and I am leaning towards the broadcast journalism field.

My name is Ansley Schnelle and I’m from Colorado. I am an avid golfer and can often be found on the golf course. From a young age I have always been interested in writing. Over time, this interest has developed into a passion.

I am headed into my senior year and I am both a staff writer and editor for my school newspaper. I am at this journalism camp because I am eager to improve my writing skills. I also plan on majoring in journalism in college and I want to become as familiar as I can with this field.

When I am older, I wish to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. I truly value learning about those around me and enjoy hearing about their life experiences. Everybody has a story to tell, and I cannot wait to be able to share those findings with others.

My name is Maya McKenzie and I am from Johns Creek , Georgia. I attend Johns Creek High School with my twin sister Macy. I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but Atlanta has always been my home. Even when I was little, I was chanting “Go Dawgs” and “Rise up” at the top of my lungs.

I have always enjoyed the flexibility that the English language has given me. This is part of the reason why I am interested in all aspects of Journalism, from print to broadcast. I’ve been around Athens and the Grady College for as long as I can remember. My dad graduated from the University of Georgia, so this school has always been at the top of my college list. My interest specifically focuses on sports journalism. Watching the Falcons play every Sunday is truly the highlight of my week. Although I don’t play either sport, football and basketball simply brings me joy. Maria Taylor and Malika Andrews have been big inspirations to me in this male-dominated industry.

As for my journalism journey, it has been very untraditional. Instead of taking the traditional newspaper and yearbook route, I chose to center my Girl Scout Gold award around my love of interviewing. For this award, I am conducting 10 interviews about the Covid-19 pandemic with doctors, athletes, teachers and other professionals around my community. These interviews will be preserved at the National Library of Congress in Washington, DC. History is a huge passion of mine, but unfortunately not every part of history has been documented for the future. Preserving these interviews will do more for history than just provide statistics about the pandemic. It will expose the raw emotions that people have experienced during these dreadful past years.

Community service is another passion of mine. I serve in The National Charity League with my mother and sister and have held over five officer positions in my chapter. Additionally, I have served over 300 community service hours with the organization. I have been a Girl Scout for 10 years and currently serve as the communications manager for The Older Girls Advisory Board. Lastly, I am the secretary for my high school’s national Beta Club and the upcoming community service chair. Johns Creek is truly a bubble compared to the rest of Atlanta, so I love to give back whenever I can. This is something that I have learned from my parents. My mom and dad have always told me to be kind and remember those who have come before you.

This camp is something that I have been looking forward to since I took a tour of the Grady College, and I cannot wait to learn more about the aspects of journalism.

Daughter, Sister, Actress, Singer, Athlete, Christian

Looking at a pile of daisies, you might say, “Wow those daisies are pretty,” but Adriana would somehow find a way to relate those daisies to the character of Daisy Buchanan from “The Great Gatsby” her favorite novel of all time.

Having a creative and artistic mind, Adriana has always had a driven and ambitious way of living. As her creative outlet, Adriana is driven by a green light leading to the screen. Ever since she was able to walk, she has wanted to be an actress and have her name in lights. Adriana is involved in many different activities and has passion for every single activity that she is involved with, but nothing compares to the love she has for acting and performing. Adriana has been involved with the musical and artistic life since she was 5 at her weekly piano lessons. Although she did not enjoy those lessons at the time, she is thankful for having a foundation of musical understanding because it has helped her in her songwriting journey, as she now is able to play the ukulele as well as the piano.

Adriana works very hard for her dreams. She has been training at Orbit Arts Academy since 2016, and has moved her way all the way up to the Company Program, where she spends 10+ hours a week training her dance, acting, and singing skills, and working on making those skills stronger. Adriana has loved performing and feels herself light up the second she steps onto a stage. She has performed in numerous musicals including starring in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” “Xanadu” “Mamma Mia” and “Chicago”. Although Adriana adores Theater, Adriana has her eye out for film, and the film industry. Adriana has been working with her agent since 2017, constantly auditioning for different movies and TV shows. For her first job, she played the role of Hermosa in NBC’s “Dangerous Mom’s” starring Dascha Polanco and Shanola Hampton. Although the pilot did not air to TV, she is thankful for her experience in the film industry and is excited to continue her journey in the future.

This type of drive and ambition is a trait taken from Adriana’s Parents, Rafael and Angela Acevedo. Rafael and Angela were born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela and immigrated to the United States in 2000 to achieve their american dream, making Adriana and her older brother Gabriel, first generation Americans. Rafael and Angela got married in 2000, packed up their bags, said goodbye to their family, and moved to Atlanta so that Rafael could get his MBA at Emory University. Her parents and older brother are huge examples of hardworking people to Adriana, and she admires her family very much. Because Adriana was raised by two Venezuelan parents, she is very thankful to be bilingual in English and Spanish

Adriana will continue to live her live in love with art and music and will continue to live her live through it. Adriana is not only interested in Acting, she find interest in other topics like journalism, leading her to go to journalism camp at UGA. She loves to learn and is eager to learn more about the topic of journalism.

June 13, 2022

Daughter. Student. Friend. Athlete.

My name is Sydney Van Dillen, and throughout my life I have become all of these things. I was born in Atlanta and currently live in Roswell, Georgia. I am a student at Lassiter High and spend my time either practicing sports or working out. I am on Lassiter’s cross country and track team and I love to run.

Growing up I would always hear about journalism because my dad is a meteorologist and works with many news reporters which makes him very familiar with that job field. Hearing about how much fun it is made me very curious about it, so I wanted to explore journalism when I grew older. I found a great opportunity to try it out and see what it’s about at the University of Georgia’s summer camp.

My dream is to become a sports reporter, but I know it will take a lot of hard work and learning to get to that point. I have my whole life ahead of me so who knows what could happen, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do for the rest of my life.

June 13, 2022

I’m Addison and I was born in Atlanta on Oct. 26, 2006. I attend Lassiter High school and I’m a rising sophomore! In high school I branched out and went out of my comfort zone a lot. I ran cross country, became vice president of my class and created my schools yearbook. I would say I am a leader, but everything I’ve achieved I couldn’t have done without my parents. Some of my biggest supporters are my mom and dad. They’ve given me so many opportunities and always give me a push when they believe I can do something.

I chose journalism because I one day hope to be the editor of my yearbook. I think journalism could also really help me sound more professional and more mature. Honestly, I want to be respected as a young teen because it is something I do value a lot. I believe young minds now are much brighter than they may seem and we do have a lot to bring to the table.While I may believe this I want to find a voice and be confident when I am speaking and writing, I just don’t know where to begin.

Outside of journalism I have grown to love running. It has become a big passion of mine since I started last fall. I ended up making varsity and our team went to state! Running has helped me in various ways, one being mental health. It helps me relieve all the stress from the day and keeps me centered. I also have a passion for biology. I ended my school year with a average of a 98 in the class. Since I was little I loved marine biology and I think it’s definitely a career I could end up pursuing in the long run.

Hello, my name is Karleigh Gorman and I am currently 16 years old. I am originally from Rockville, Maryland and grew up in the D.C. area. About eight years ago, my family and I moved down to South Carolina. People down here like to say that I’m the girl from the north, which to me makes no sense. When I go back up north, whether it be Maryland, Jersey or Boston, they like to comment about my southern living. I am a rising senior in high school- thank the Lord- and I am ready to leave the South. There isn’t much for me down here, especially any opportunities regarding college. Along with sports, writing has been something I loved since I was little. Many might assume I like Washington teams, but I am mainly a Boston gal. I love the New England Patriots, Boston Red Soxs, and the Celtics, but when it comes to the NHL, I am a Washington Capitals fan. I have a hateful passion towards the Boston Bruins that will never fade. Since my dad is from the Boston area, he basically forced me and raised me with New England teams. We go to at least one Capitals game a year and it is the best experience to be in.

I have three other sisters and one brother. My mom is the baby of eight and my dad is the middle of five, so it’s safe to say I have a big family. I grew up watching and playing sports. It came naturally to me. I first started when I was six when my dad signed me up for flag football. This was when I realized sports would have a big impact in my life. I continued with sports and my passion for them as I grew up. Around the age of 12, I realized that I could combine sports and writing together. My freshman year of high school, I started managing my school’s lacrosse team and was the news broadcaster. When COVID hit, a lot shut down. Our news channel was canceled, but I continued with finding new ways to put journalism in my life. Now as a senior, I can say that I am a part of my journalism and broadcasting team and a lacrosse manager for four years and my passion for sports writing continues to grow everyday. I hope to one day be a sideline reporter or even work for a team alone. There are currently many female writers coming into the sport journalism world and it makes me feel confident that I could have a chance of one day living my dream. My grandma always told me I wouldn’t make it many places since I don’t have a sense of “fashion”. Being the youngest, plus the only girl, it can set some high expectations. I was never the girl to wear a dress or learn how to do my makeup, I was simple. That is basically my life quote, just be simple. I have my flaws and I have my perks, but hopefully these will help me in my future career.

My name is Mary, I’m originally from Maryland but I’ve lived in Florida near the Cocoa Beach area for about five years.

I’m going to be a senior at Rockledge High School next year. At my high school, I participated in the Cambridge program and earned my Cambridge diploma my sophomore year. I’m at journalism camp because I enjoy writing and I would like to see if journalism is a career I would like to pursue. Other than journalism, I am heavily involved in my community and high school theatres. I am the publicity director for my troupe and have won superior awards for my publicity design at the district level. I also work at a pilates studio and love to read.

When I grow up I want to work in publishing as either an editor or a literary agent. Someone who inspires me is Jackie Kennedy- her career as an editor and book lover is something I greatly look up to.

Hi! My name is Olivia.

In 2006 I was born in Atlanta to two immigrant parents and have been raised in the suburbs of Lithonia, Georgia. Growing up near the bustling cultural center of Atlanta has provided me with a launchpad to develop my various interests. I have attended Chamblee High School in Dekalb County since 2019, learning and developing passions I have carried since my youth, specifically visual arts, politics and writing.

This past school year, I have particularly enjoyed helping lead my peers in the publication of Etcetera, Chamblee’s literary magazine, as Associate Editor-in-Chief. As I enter my final year of high school, I look forward to serving as Vice President of Chamblee’s Women’s Political Club, President of our school’s chapter of national volunteering organization “Do Something” and continuing my participation in National Art Honor Society. During this experience, I hope to bring what I have learned about publishing, communication and effective collaboration to our group to help produce an amazing website while learning from both our instructors and my talented peers. My goals for this experience are to understand more about the style of writing required in journalism, how to conduct a thorough interview and to further explore my interests with my articles.

Inside school, I can be found stressing over my classes or trying to decide whether I would like to be a political reporter or go into marketing. Outside of school, you can find me painting, buying too many plants to count, or being the last person alive who watches C-SPAN.