By Jessie Mai Mitnick, age 11
Audren Hedges Duroy is a 12-year-old IndyKids reporter who’s been writing for IndyKids since 2015. Audren loves to write because he sees it as the best way to get your opinions heard. Writing also helps Audren organize his thoughts coherently, and Audren has a LOT of thoughts. As well as those two amazing reasons to love writing, writing is important to Audren because it is a way to fight for the Earth and for human rights.
Why and how did you start writing for IndyKids?
I started writing because I enjoy activism and I wanted my voice to change the world. I also started writing for IndyKids because of my sister, who is an IndyKids writer too.
Is there a specific subject that you are very passionate about? If so, have you written an article about that?
I am very passionate about global warming and climate change. I have written two articles along those lines. One about electric cars and another about plastic roads. I also am passionate about human rights and have written an article on women’s rights and another on gun control.
What are some things that you have learned from being a part of IndyKids, and how have those things impacted you and your writing?
I have learned that the world has millions of diverse viewpoints that can differ even among people that have similar thoughts. This has helped me in my writing because it taught me to be patient with editors when I disagree with them. It also helps at school when I am writing papers for my teacher.
What is your favorite article that you’ve written for IndyKids?
I like the article I wrote about the sea anemone. It was fun, and it was a small step towards more in-depth writing. I also liked the poem I wrote with my sister, “It’s All About That Test,” because after it was published, our superintendent showed it to our state legislature. These days we take fewer state standardized tests in Ohio.
Have you gone through any difficult processes when writing an article? If so, how and why was the process difficult?
Word limits are difficult because there is so much to write about and yet very low word counts for articles.
What do you want to do in the future?
I want to continue trying to make the world safer, more peaceful and equal.
