Anahi Solis is a 17-year-old junior at South Broward High School who heard about journalism from a friend and was intrigued. She started by joining film when she was in middle school, fascinated by poster and newspaper-making, where she found herself writing news scripts, which sparked her interest in writing.
“I was interested in the concept of writing newsletters for people to read, and making posters helped me spread my ideas; they just popped! So, when my friend recommended the class, I got the opportunity to try working and spreading my best creative ideas. It just started as a small interest in the news headlines, but it manifested into something deeper for me,” said Solis.
Living in Hialeah, Florida, in a small, sectioned apartment, when she was younger, her dad would collect newspapers he would get from a small grocery store down the block from their house. As her dad sat at the table going through them, she would stare at him across the table, patiently waiting for him to read them out loud for her to listen to. It was a small moment, but for Solis, in those moments, she felt a connection with writing.
“I’d say I picked up many tricks and hobbies over the years; I usually spend my time just reading or jotting down my next book idea. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol had to be my first store-bought book. It was a tongue twister for sure, but I had fallen for the silly commentary and ridiculous rhymes,” said Solis.
When Solis isn’t reading, she will spend her extra time playing Roblox with friends, even dabbling with painting, sketching, and even writing poems and reading them to friends. She found it difficult to trust the process of her work; it takes time, but it led her to success. Solis found solace in literature, which later adapted to her joy for learning.
“I stress a lot at times when I get art or writer’s block; it makes me paranoid in knowing if my work is truly valuable to others, but I had told myself to just continue, as sometimes things won’t go as planned,” said Solis.
Solis believes that if something doesn’t usually go the way you want it or takes too long, it was meant to be. She had to just keep going on.
“If life starts too tough, it just means your future will get easier,” said Solis.
