Tinley Teen Aspiring To Career In Journalism Lands Spot In New York Times Summer Academy

TINLEY PARK, IL — When Margaux Perell was a child, she decided she wanted a pet frog.

She went to her parents, ready to pitch her case. She'd done her homework and came prepared—with a full slideshow detailing all she'd learned about frog ownership and care.

"... When she wants something, she goes after it wholeheartedly," her mother Jackie Perell told Patch. "She always went for everything down to the last detail, so that we would feel confident that she knew what she was doing."

Now a sophomore at Tinley Park High School, the teen has carried that persistence into her school work and pursuit of her passions: writing and journalism, specifically. She isn't wasting a moment, absorbing all she can about what she hopes will become her future career in political journalism. She works for the school newspaper, and is a media/public relations intern with Bremen District 228 Public Relations Specialist Yasmeen Sheikah.

"Ever since I was young, they’ve always taught me to value my education, and that it’s not something everyone gets to have," Margaux said, of her parents Jackie and John. "I’ve always taken school very seriously."

As she grits out the school year along with her classmates, her focus is already locked tight on a summer goal. Perell has been selected for the prestigious New York Times Summer Academy.

The competitive, pre-college program for high schoolers offers immersive, two-week sessions in New York City, focusing on journalism, media, arts, business, technology and more. The program is led by New York Times journalists and experts, allowing teens to live like New Yorkers and explore potential college majors and careers.

Jackie Perell had been searching for opportunities for her daughter to build on her skill set and explore her ambition over the summer, when she came upon the program. Margaux was eager to apply.

"Since it was such a big name, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to do it," Margaux told Patch.

She pored over the application. And then, she waited—but not nearly as long as she thought she would.

"It ended up only being five days," she said. "They got back to me with the news that I had made it in, with a partial scholarship."

The teen consumes news from all sources and in many media—"I take in anything/everything that I can," she says—as she deepens her grasp of the news, and the craft that delivers it. Her love of writing started in childhood, and her need for news has grown as she nears adulthood.

"Now that I’m in high school, especially with the political side of things, you have to make sure everything you’re getting is true information," she said. "... As more news outlet are being shut down, news is more important than ever because it’s going to become limited. I want to be a part of the future of news. I want to be a part of the new generation that’s going to help keep news alive, because of the impact the government and AI is having on creative fields."

For Margaux, the New York Times program had some challenging aspects even before its start, including its nearly $8,000 cost, and time away from her family.

But, in what her family would likely say is typical Margaux fashion, she is undeterred. She was awarded a partial scholarship of $1,500, and will put her earnings from a part-time job at Pekoe and Bean in Tinley Park toward the overall amount, as well.

"She’s a fighter from the start," Jackie Perell said. "When she was in 2nd grade, she decided she wanted an iPad, and she approached neighbors, asked to do odd jobs to afford her own iPad. That’s just how she is.

"She would save everything she had until she got what she wanted."

Margaux has already worked to raise the money with a popcorn sales fundraiser, and will follow that up with a chocolate sales one. Jackie—Margaux's biggest fan and staunchest supporter—has also started a GoFundMe campaign for anyone interested in helping fund Margaux's next steps chasing her dream.

"It’s a huge opportunity, it’s not an easy thing to get into," Jackie Perell said, "and I don’t want to deny her of that. But at the same time, we also have a kid in college, and it’s a big ask financially.

"There’s been a huge outpouring of support that’s been tremendously to our family."

'A passion, not a chore'

Margaux discovered her love for storytelling as a child.

"Ever since I could talk, I would make up stories and tell them to my family," she said.

A graduate of District 146 in Tinley Park, she regularly entered—and won—the district's Young Authors Contest, chosen as the best among her peers in each grade.

"In middle school, I started to get more passionate about journalism, especially political journalism, because I started to follow politics more, especially in 8th grade."

As she's grown, she's realized that some might abandon their creativity in pursuit of career.

"I want to carry my creativity throughout adulthood," she said. "A lot of people who are creative when they’re younger, think they can’t pursue creativity because it won’t make money.

"I’ve always held my creativity—I think it’s something really important. I think I should share that with others. ... Writing is something that my whole life, I’ve felt is a passion and not a chore. … I always felt like it was kind of a reward. I was excited that we would get to write essays. Being able to share your thoughts—whether it’s a news story or a creative story—is a talent that should be shared with others."

Complementing Margaux's creativity, her mother said, is her empathy.

"She has a heart for justice," Jackie Perell said. "Always wants to stand up for what’s right, even if it doesn’t involve her. If she sees something she thinks could be better, she does her best to find a way.

"If she sees something uncomfortable happen at school, she’s not afraid to find an admin or a teacher, and give her account of what happened, to try to find a way to help situations from behind the scenes."

"My teachers and my family have always taught me to be an empathetic person," Margaux told Patch, separately. "... I see the way some people get treated, and it makes me want to get up and do something about it."

She's excited to be among like-minded high schoolers who share her drive and love for all things news.

"... Going to a place of education where everyone around me is equally interested in the things we’re going to be learning about," she said. "At school, I feel like I’m not pushing myself enough. To be around people that value writing, political journalism. They’re going to inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing. ... Solidify that this is what I want to do in my future."

Her mother believes in her endeavors and has encouraged her along the way, along with dad John and brother Henry. Grandparents and aunts that live at a distance also have made sure to be there for her, she said.

Jackie Perell recognizes the inherent value in this particular program.

"There’s nothing similar to this anywhere around here," she said. "This is certainly nothing that a public school is going to be able to provide to her. Although there are some electives, if not enough kids sign up, they don’t run that elective. She can’t be promised that some of the things she wants and needs will be available."

Margaux has so many attributes her mother believes will lead to her success in whatever she pursued.

"She has a really open mind," Jackie said. "Even though she has her opinions, she’s willing to hear what other people have to say, and she’s able to communicate in a way that helps people understand her point of view.

"That’s going to benefit her so much going into the journalism field. ... she tries to look at problems from all sides, so that she can best represent what’s going on, and better understand it for herself."

In the future, Margaux would love to find herself in the thick of reporting on a United States president.

"I really will do anything," she stressed, "I want to be able to follow the president. ... I'm also interested in international reporting where there are wars going on, serious problems happening in the world. A lot of people lack knowledge about places where they aren’t living.

"Anything along those lines is something I’d be interested in reporting."

Mother and daughter both expressed some hesitance at Margaux's time away, though Margaux is also exhilarated by the idea.

"I’m excited to travel somewhere new," she said. "I just love going to new places, see a place I’m different from, see people that are different from me and live different lives than me. It’s an educational tool, it helps build people skills."

"She will be fine," Jackie said. "I will be nervous, but that’s more about me, not about her. She is somebody who pays attention. She has really good judgment. She’s cautious, but willing to take chances in a way that’s safe. ... I know that she can handle it."

Margaux can't wait to get started.

"Not a lot of people get this opportunity," she said. "It gives me something unique that I can take into my future.

"I want to be part of the people that keep good, honest writing going."

Read more about Margaux and the program, and find her GoFundMe here.