Meet the Staff: Paige Palent

Q: Despite being in quarantine, what was your happiest moment this summer?

A: I did stuff with my family that before quarantine I never had time to do. Before COVID hit hard, I would go to restaurants with my family and enjoy my time with them.

Q: Why did you take Newspaper as a class this year?

A: I took Intro to Journalism and because I did like writing in that class, I decided to take Newspaper.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A: In 10 years, I see myself working as a writer. People tell me I’m good, at least okay at writing, and I really do enjoy it; it’s something very hard to get into though, at least as a career, but I’m holding out hope. Being a writer really gives me a lot of joy, but I’m realistic, so I think also furthering my knowledge/experience in Journalism (Communications) would also benefit me as a writer, hence why I joined this class. 

Q: What did you do during quarantine?

A: During quarantine, I explored my future in writing and learned about any opportunities. I did a lot of research and I actually found scholarships online sponsored by Scholastic that I can enter into, and that sounds especially exciting. Even if I don’t win, I think that entering would really let people read my writing and dissect it. People just telling me “it’s good” or “it’s bad” isn’t very helpful; I’ve been looking everywhere for feedback. I also mostly spent time with my family and saw my friends rarely until I went outside again when things were getting a bit better and saw them at the end.

Q: Do you play any sports/in any of the clubs at school?

A: Unfortunately I don’t play any sports because of time management but I’m in the Drama, Glee, and Newspaper clubs.

Q: What are your goals (personal/academic) this year?

A: My goal this year is to get a better grade Spanish because I had a B last year, but I want to raise my grade higher.

Q: Favorite artist?

A: Poppy. She is a heavy metal (rock) artist who’s known for her personality on the internet. She has very good instruments for her music and you just wouldn’t expect someone like Poppy to do such harsh music. Harsh as in how it carries itself. Her music also has good messages.

Q: What do you do during your free time?

A: If you want me to be completely honest, I don’t have a lot of free time in a sense. Some things I like to do I do so much that I can’t consider a hobby anymore, like excessively reading; it’s become something that I do daily.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I want to be a writer but maybe I could go into communications or teach because it seems very fun.

Q: Any hobbies you have?

A: I like to read, write, swim, sing, shop and spend time with my friends. Hobbies are quite spontaneous and I’m always finding new interests. I recently got back into Minecraft. It’s somehow still the same as it used to be.