Utica High School journalist named one of Michigan's best

UHS student journalist named one of state’s best

Utica High School senior Alissa Szandzik has been named one of the state’s top student journalists.

Szandzik, editor-in-chief of the Warrior yearbook, was selected to the 2015 All State Journalism Staff by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. She will be honored at the organization’s annual conference April 20.

“When she joined the Warrior staff as a sophomore, Alissa quickly stood out above the rest,” UHS student publications adviser Stacy Smale said in Szandzik’s letter of recommendation. “Her promotions and editorial responsibilities are unmatched. Sophomore year she served as Copy Editor, junior year she was Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Student Life Editor and Copy Editor. Appointing Alissa as editor-in-chief her senior year was a no-brainer. She has it all. She’s creative, a talented writer, a natural leader, and is extremely organized.”

Selection for the special journalism staff was based on submission of a digital portfolio, which can be viewed at http://alissasz.wix.com/portfolio. She separately submitted letters of recommendation, a resume, and a personal essay. Szandzik ‘s essay focused on the work she’s done over the past three years as a member of the yearbook staff.

“People outside of the yearbook classroom may see our job as student-scrapbookers, who simply take pictures and put them onto a page. These people have never seen our staff at work,” Szandzik said in her personal essay. “The world of journalism is fast-paced and demanding. In a yearbook classroom, we face deadlines, we must collaborate to create our product, and we must rely on each other to get the book done.”

Szandzik said she values the passion and effort it takes to write a yearbook story, whether it’s about a game in a sporting event, a club meeting, or a homecoming dance. She appreciates the great deal of focus and work that must go into every detail.

“My favorite part of journalism has always been getting interviews. I love the way an interview can go in a direction you never imagined, and the way you have to go off script if something is mentioned that you want more information about,” Szandzik said. “You can learn a lot about your classmates when you ask just a few pointed questions for a story or a caption, and I’ve even found that friendships have begun following a good interview. After an interview, getting the story started was easy; watching the subject of the piece light up about a particular topic, or seeing how something truly affected them, makes the angle of the story easy to find. Once you’ve got your angle, any good reporter knows that it is a seamless process to implement the right quotes in the right places to make the story great.”

According to Smale, any description of Alissa wouldn’t be complete without mentioning her talent for interviewing and reporting.

“Over the years, Alissa’s written some phenomenal pieces because she has the ability to take any topic and make her stories entertaining for readers, whether it’s a news or feature,” Smale said. “Most notably, she covered a football fundraiser for local police, EMS and firefighters. After extensive interviews and research, she settled on the perfect angle: the story featured a football coach whose own brother, a firefighter, was battling brain cancer. Although the interview with the coach was somewhat difficult, her end product was both emotional and memorable.”

The coach, teacher Todd Koehn, agreed.

“Alissa interviewed me for a yearbook story about one of my greatest moments in my coaching career that involved my younger brother who currently has brain cancer,” Koehn said in his letter of recommendation. “Her professionalism was well orchestrated and her respect for the subject matter was greatly appreciated. I have been involved in many student interviews for the newspaper and yearbook during my sixteen years of teaching; however, this interview was of the highest professionalism I have experienced yet.”

Szandzik has already been admitted to Oakland University, where she plans to study communications, with a minor in journalism.

“I have had the unique experience of running a student-led publication,” Szandzik said. “Over the course of this year, my life has been greatly impacted by my role on the staff. I am more confident socially and academically. I believe that while my writing has improved, my communication skills and presentation skills have similarly improved. The relationships I have formed with my staff members, the students in my school, and my teachers/administration are my greatest successes. I believe that when I leave UHS, I will be a stronger person after having been a part of the journalism program.”

While Szandzik said being a part of the yearbook staff has helped her find her place at Utica High School, she knows it will help her find her place in life, as well.

“The friendships formed in yearbook will last, because our time together was not just in a class; it was on a staff where we had hard times, fun times, and of course, times I will never forget,” Szandzik said. “Concluding my time on the yearbook staff and as an editor, I can confidently say that my life has been forever changed, and I have learned more than I could have ever imagined.”

• Tab 0
• Tab 1