Kaylee Anderson was named runner up for JEA’s Young Aspiring Journalist award. Anderson is the first student from Bryant to be named a finalist for the award and only the second from Arkansas. Four total finalists were selected this year.
This award encourages junior high and middle school students to continue with journalistic studies in high school. Finalists are selected based on their contributions to scholastic journalism, their leadership, and their overall skills.
Anderson’s versatility at Bryant Junior High School is what sets her apart. She has worked on newspaper, yearbook and broadcast journalism. She has excelled in photography, where she is not afraid to experiment with new techniques, according to adviser Meag Abo, CJE. Anderson led a website overhaul, taking workshops on her own and then coming back to teach her colleagues — and her teacher.
“I have learned much from Kaylee, and she has established a legacy for our staff,” Abo wrote. “She is the example of work ethic and journalistic integrity to which I hope all of my students aspire.”
Anderson said journalism is the place where she best fits.
“Yearbook was a place where I could talk and laugh without any worry of someone disliking me,” she said. “Interviewing students, some I didn’t know, challenged me and helped me improve at talking to people.”
“Getting out and interviewing important people, writing journalistic stories and advancing at photography all had their hurdles,” she added, “but I jumped over them with excitement. I gained so much knowledge, from how to best crop a photo to subjective cases with who and whom.”