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 The
following Question and Answer interview was conducted by
e-mail on May 14 following Bonnie Gallagher's trip to Washington
D.C. to receive her national award for reporting.
Q:
What interests you most about journalism,
and how long have you been involved with The Electron?
A: What
interests me the most about journalism is that nothing ever
stays the same. Something new and different happens everyday!
I've been a part of The Electron for three semesters.
Q:What's
your favorite kind of story to write? Why?
A:My
favorite type of story to write would have to be a sports
story because sports stories have the most exotic angles.
Q:Was
it your idea to interview Arnela Alic? How many interviews
(and time) did it take until you were ready to write? Was
it a difficult story to do? Why or why not.
A:At
the beginning of the school year, we, the staff, were trying
to get into the journalism mode; so, each staff member had
to think of a quick read for yearbook. Well, I thought it
would be extremely cool to write about someone's experience
in another country. It was after the first interview that
I realized I had a good strong story instead of just a boring
quick read.
This story was difficult to write. Number one, it was time-consuming,
and number two, it was hard to understand what she was trying
to say. Her English was still choppy because she had learned
English from a German teacher instead of a teacher who spoke
her language. It was not only hard because of her English,
but also, it was hard to understand because I have never
been through such a terrible experience. It was hard to
imagine what she and her family went through.
Q:Did
you sense as you were writing that this story might be an
award-winning piece?
A:No,
quite the contrary. In fact, when Ms. Mann told me she was
sending the story next day delivery, I told her, "Why?
It's not going to win. Save your money."
My goal for Arnela's story was not to win
an award. My goal was to expose students to a real life
situation. People always hear about how bad war is, but
my question is, do they honestly understand how it affects
the lives of innocent people? I didn't, and to a certain
degree, I still don't. I never will. Listening to Arnela
speak about the hardships in her life really made me think.
Everyone knows that war is a reality, but not everyone feels
that reality—not like Arnela did anyway. My goal was
to write and be read. The award was an added bonus.
Q:What
did Arnela think of the story?
A:Arnela
was very excited. She was glad to be a part of the story.
I don’t think she realized how big this story was until
she saw it in The Electron. She was very excited
about the award.
Q:Tell
me your thoughts about winning the Kennedy Award. I know
you visited Washington D.C. recently. Did making the trip
change your views about journalism and the power of the
printed word?
A:My
trip to Washington didn’t really change my views. I’ve
always known how strong the power of the printed world can
be; however, I’ve never dreamed of becoming a professional
journalist. I’ve always wanted to help people in other
ways. I plan to become a nurse and write for a medical journal.
Although, it would be cool to be a journalist. Who knows,
I might actually become one!
About
the author:
Bonnie Gallagher plans to continue her journalism work at
Franklin Community High School. She plans to go to college
to be a nurse or another type of health-care professional.
About
the Photos:
Bonnie Gallagher
(lower left) poses with Ethel Kennedy during an evening
ceremony at the Freedom Forum in Freedom Park on May 7.
Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert Kennedy, presented Gallagher
with an award for a feature story about a Franklin student
from Bosnia. In the photo below (lower right) Carmen Mann,
Bonnie Gallagher and Sherrie Jones (Bonnie's mother, far
right) made the trip to Washington D.C. together. Click
on the thumbnails below for a larger image.
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