Ingrid Smith: NSPA Writer of the Year Portfolio
June 1, 2023
I have always been obsessed with telling stories. From passing centuries-old stories along through fiddle tunes to taking a competitive public speaking class, I seek out ways to communicate with others. During freshman year, I joined McCallum Journalism hoping to connect with the world through writing when everyone was quarantined at home. This year, as an editor for The Shield, I stepped out of my comfort zone to tell stories in different ways, from in-depth news articles to a board editorial.
When I sit on my bed to write a story, I am surrounded by posters of storytellers who inspire me. Taylor Swift wrote personal memories into lyrics that become symbols for the shared human experience. Loretta Lynn bravely used words to speak out and spread awareness. Cary Grant used a transatlantic accent and one-liners to make his characters come alive. I use my words to connect with the community and uplift the truth.
This year, I wrote for The Shield as co-news editor and co-online managing editor. I chase the feeling I get when I turn my big ideas into words on a page. Every time I write, I learn something new and connect with all types of people, from the super funny robotics team to the beloved editor-in-chief of The Shield. It is not unusual for my interviews to last 30 minutes, as I dig deep to discover not only details on the story topic but details on the subject’s personality. I ask about their deepest fears, what they eat for breakfast and what they sing to in the car. When my fingers hit the keys and I write, I enter my creative space. I use my words to paint detailed pictures and put readers in the story. As I write a news story, I evaluate every aspect of the issue and write with intention. But no matter how I choose to tell stories, I place every word with thought and care. I attempt to write stories that make an impact, on the community and on the lives of the people featured. Whether I write for student journalism or a press powerhouse, I know my pen has the power to be a force of change, lifting voices and raising awareness. As I continue to write, I hope to harness my creativity and style to tell stories that will resonate with all types of people and withstand the test of time.
Budget constraints force Mac orchestra directors to take over Lamar Middle School program
When I learned that my orchestra directors were being forced to take over a middle school program for no additional pay, I knew it was my duty as a journalist to write about it. When I began investigating the topic, I discovered that the issue went much deeper than I had imagined. Other schools faced similar fine arts cuts, and the orchestra teachers were more than willing to pour their hearts out to me. I was surprised by their vulnerability and inspired to write with bravery. Writing this story was the first time I had to consider that my words could get people fired, but I knew it was my job to get the orchestra directors’ message out. This story required a weeks-long interview process to ensure that I told every side of the story. The result was that the story made a difference. My orchestra directors told me that it made an impact on their lives, and I watched as my story circulated throughout the Austin orchestra community and sparked discussion. The story even reached my middle school orchestra director who now lives in St. Louis. Next year, my orchestra directors are returning to their jobs at McCallum full-time, and I know that my story had something to do with that. I am proud of the fact that my writing was able to make real change.
I felt similarly called to write about my friend Z Campbell, an incredible musician and impactful person moving on to music school. The interview process was an emotional deep dive into Campbell’s journey as a nonbinary violist. Every person I interviewed was an amazing speaker, so I had many amazing quotes to pick from. Unable to write around quotes, I stared at a blank document for days, thoughts so big that they didn’t fit on the page. Every word in my stories is a carefully made decision. But when it came to Campbell, I so badly wanted to write a perfect story that I couldn’t write at all. I hacked away at the story until I had eight pages that still were not up to my standards. When I took a step back, I realized that I didn’t know what story I wanted to tell. Their musical accomplishments, leadership, identity and community impact could be stories alone, but I wanted to tackle all of those and more. So I wrote around what I deemed to be key points until I captured their essence as a person, musician and leader. Ultimately, my writing combined with Campbell’s powerful quotes created a feature that will keep their legacy alive.
After attending a Harry Styles concert, feeling blown away by the colors, concert and character on stage, I couldn’t stop myself from writing a raving review. I wrote the story in first person, a style I don’t use often, and attempted to convey every single detail of the concert experience in an artistic way. As I watched the concert unfold, I jotted down observations on an app on my phone and pulled from that list as I wrote the story. I wrote from the hallways at school, from the path to the venue door and from my room with my concert poster on the wall right next to me. The story came to me at a rapid speed, and my fingers flew across the keyboard. In the end, my dad (although a biased source) told me that although he did not go to the concert, he felt like he had been there after reading my story. I am proud of my ability to write details to paint a vivid picture, and I believe this story encapsulates a huge part of the 2022 Austin teen experience. I love writing reviews, but this one appeals to my journalist and Harry Styles fangirl heart.
When an ice storm hit Austin and left residents without power, putting school on hold for days, I put my co-news editor pants on and wrote a breaking news story. When I took the assignment, I was at my grandparents’ house an hour away because my house had not had power in five days. Finally blessed with a computer in my lap, I wrote from the eye of the storm. This story was unlike anything I had written because information constantly changed. As soon as I pulled data from the power outage map, numbers would change, school would be canceled for another day and the city would issue yet another statement. Along with that, I struggled to contact interview sources as students’ power went in and out mid-phone call and Instagram polls lost accuracy. But I channeled the feelings of every other powerless citizen, sifted through a pile of information and wrote around quotes that brought the experience to life. The story also provided explanations for the origin of the power crisis and quoted city officials on the other side of the story. I wrote the story fast, and it was published at a time when many McCallum families were still without power, including myself and my adviser. But the story gained hundreds of views each day and preserved very real and very crazy experiences. For weeks after the story was published, it remained at the top spot on The Shield Online’s trending list.
When I found out that my classmate Sophie Kessler was a firefighter in training, I had to get my hands on her story. I have always loved writing feature stories, mostly because they allow me to be creative and bring characters alive through words. This story challenged me to do justice to Kessler, a soft-spoken person involved in an activity I know nothing about. The interview process challenged me to dig deeper after every question and continue to follow up so that I could get the best information possible. When I sat down to write, my brain was filled with inspiration and frustration at the same time. I wanted the story to be concise and convincing, so I channeled the mind of Kessler and just started writing. The story was a good exercise for writing a feature story with multiple sources in chronological order to show Kessler’s growth. I had a lot of fun crafting this lede, an intriguing anecdote, and I used imagery and detail to tell the story. I try to tell stories where the transitions and quotes are equally powerful because I know I can bring characters to life without quotation marks. I think I did a good job of painting a full picture of what the Fire Academy is and what makes Sophie awesome. I am proud of this story, and it is cool to see that with every story I write, my writing improves and I create a result better than the last.
