“Since I can remember, I have been a huge fan of NBC’s Today Show. When I was 6 years old, I can distinctly remember watching the news program and seeing the former co-anchors Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer reporting about America’s economic recession. At the time though, I was not aware about how the recession would negatively affect the world surrounding me, but I was fascinated about how the anchors were able to investigate, clarify, and report insightful information to their viewers. It was then that I realized I wanted to be involved in the storytelling process of the newsroom.

Of course, as does anything, becoming a writer is a work in progress. You can always learn about writing through the mandatory English classes you take during school. People who enjoy English classes and writing, like myself, find anyway possible to become more educated and to improve writing skills. After thinking about what I could continuously do to improve my writing I finally came up with the idea of a creating a blog called Clareology101.

Along with trying to improve my writing, I started my blog so I could report firsthand coverage on topics and events that I have personally experienced. I consider myself my own newsroom. Though some of the events I write about may not be impactful to a large audiences, they are important to me and hopefully my subscribers. For example, I wrote an article about my last trip to San Francisco, California. And although I loved my trip, I wrote about how I witnessed a major city suffering because of its opioid epidemic. In both stories, I clearly demonstrated published articles of my own experiences that have impacted me.

Not only does my blog include my writing collection, but I also have photo galleries of the photography I have taken over the past few years. Some of my favorite moments of my past year have been posted in my galleries. One includes current Today Show co-anchor Hoda Kota taking a selfie with me, which was a really amazing experience. Other moments include hanging out with friends, visiting the federal prison at Alcatraz, and seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s awarding winning play Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Also, I monthly write about trendy, new events and concepts that I find interesting, which are called ‘Crazes of the Month’.

Since I’m only in high school, I plan to expand my blog by gaining more subscribers in the future. Currently, my main focus is on school and competitive swimming. Therefore, I don’t spend as much time on my blog. The ultimate goal is building a worldwide following and to broaden my viewership. I hope that I can inspire others like myself who love writing to be their own storytellers and to enjoy what they are passionate about in their own form.”