Two interviews with Arizona Girls State Citizens on their perceptions of what being a reporter is like

By Eleanor Ackley
Ocotillo City Reporter

Over the past few days at Arizona Girls State, reporters from every city have interviewed, taken pictures, and written several articles. They have helped collect information to make the blog complete. So, I wanted to know how these reporters felt about the work they were doing. I interviewed Sianna Davis and Emilia Kim on June 6th, 2024. They discuss their experiences as a reporter and how reporting will impact their future.

Hi, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with me. Please tell me your name, what city you live in, and what high school you go to.

“So, my name is Emilia Kim. I…go to Basis Oro Valley in Oro Valley,Arizona.”

What Arizona Girls State City are you in?

“I’m in Sycamore City.”

To start off, why did you choose to be a reporter at Arizona Girls State?

“Yeah, I think there was a lot of different things…Mainly to branch out and meet new people, but I also have a lot of experience, I think, personally, writing…I’ve really enjoy writing ever since I was, like, maybe, 7-ish, so I run my school’s newspaper. I’ve entered a couple of writing competitions and really enjoyed my time there.”

Have you enjoyed your experience as a reporter so far?

“Yeah, I’ve loved it! I’ve met so many new people, gotten to ask amazing questions to various, different people here at Girls State…It’s been a great experience, for sure.”

What is your favorite task to do as a reporter?

“…Definitely talking to people…I love to yapp, I love to just talk about current world affairs…I was given a…New York Times subscription for my birthday and, so, I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from some of my favorite reporters that work at the New York Times…Just being able to connect with people.”

What is your least favorite task to do as a reporter?

“…I don’t know if I necessarily have a least favorite. I think…there are up sides and down sides to talking to people a lot. I’ve run into conflicts…about political ideology, run into conflicts about communication…So, there are definitely tensions, but being over to overcome them is a big part of being a reporter.”

For the past few days, you have written several articles. Which one of your articles is your favorite? Why?

“My favorite article…Definitely, I wrote one article about the Nationalist Party and the rally that we did on…Tuesday. So, the Tuesday rally was definitely one of my favorites. I got to talk to a bunch of different people. We had just an amazing time. It was definitely hectic, definitely crazy, but there was so much excitement and energy, especially since it was so early on in the week.”

Are you going to use the skills you gained as a reporter in Arizona Girls State in your real life or career?

“Yes! Definitely…Specifically, I learned a lot about communication, I learned a lot about tensions, about political tensions, especially. I come from a really small school where a lot of us hold the same political ideologies and coming to Girls State has definitely broadened…the experiences and stories that I…A lot of people have shared very specific stories and experiences that I’ve never had before, never heard of before.”

Hi, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with me. Please tell me your name, what city you live in, and what high school you go to.

“I’m Sianna and I’m from Glendale and I go to Ironwood High School.”

What Arizona Girls State City are you in?

“Manzanita City.”

To start off, why did you choose to be a reporter at Arizona Girls State?

“I really like the idea of being able to write blogs and different articles. I’m a huge writer, so it’s very fun to get to write about what’s happening at Girls State.”

Have you enjoyed your experience as a reporter so far?

“Absolutely! I love it. I love seeing…my articles on the Girls State page.”

What is your favorite task to do as a reporter?

“I think my favorite task is probably getting pictures to put on the articles. It’s very fun to try to get the right angles and get really good pictures.”

What is your least favorite task to do as a reporter?

“Probably coming up with questions to ask for the Whistlestop…”

For the past few days, you have written several articles. Which one of your articles is your favorite? Why?

“Ooh, that’s a hard one. I think my favorite might have to be the first one I ever wrote because it was my first time being able to experience everything and seeing how to really write an article for, like, a huge company, I guess, like this.”

Are you going to use the skills you gained as a reporter in Arizona Girls State in your real life or career?

“…yeah!…Most definitely. I think it’s going to help me a lot…if I do journalism in high school or in college.”

‘Being able to experience everything’