By MATTHEW KUE, age 11
PHOTO: Jon Tupas
Olivia Minguela, age 11, has been a kid reporter for IndyKids since January 2014.
Matt: How did you get interested in journalism, and why do you like it?
Olivia: My friends kept on talking about how they wanted to be journalists when they grow up so I gave it a try. My friends helped encourage me to start writing. My friend Sophia, 11, is the one that read over my work, helped me improve and most importantly, introduced me to IndyKids. I like journalism because it is fun and it is about expressing yourself. There are so many topics to write about, and you can turn it into your own article.
Matt: Can you name some topics you have reported on at IndyKids?
Olivia: “Getting Wild with the Narwhal,” about whales with spiral tusks. “Getting Wild” is a section about describing different animals and giving facts about them. I like it because I want to be a marine biologist when I grow up. I have also written articles on very serious topics like immigration detainee hunger strikes and Nelson Mandela’s relationship with the United States. They were complex.
Matt: Why was writing the Nelson Mandela article complex?
Olivia: The article was complex because I had to research him and the relationship between the United States and then I had to compare those two. Complex stories challenge me.
Matt: Have your parents helped you at all?
Olivia: My parents gave me encouragement, like “Don’t give up.” They were the ones who helped me write the articles and gave me inspiration, saying things like “Even if things get rough, if you quit, you will regret it in the end.”
