Creating something from nothing. Getting the news out into the world. Overcoming obstacles and feeling a sense of satisfaction that you were able to do it. This is the way of life for freshman Hadley Cotton, whose love for reading and writing inspired her to join the newspaper and become a student journalist.

“I like writing things that have meaning and depth, like a news article,” Cotton said. “It shows people something that they wouldn't have been able to see before if it was hidden, or if they weren’t able to see because it wasn’t from their viewpoint.”

Although Cotton enjoys writing, she has not always felt that way. As a child, she experienced many difficulties with writing and had a tutor throughout elementary school to become a better reader and writer.

“She and I did exercises. Also, reading a lot helped me to understand writing more. My teachers were no help, but my tutor was the best.”

Cotton has a large family and experiences a hectic life with them outside of school, but they are all supportive of each other.

“It’s kind of chaotic because there’s five kids, seven in total, and my older sister moved out,” Cotton said. “We argue a lot, but we’d do anything for each other.”

Moreover, Cotton’s biggest inspiration are her siblings and mother, who she truly looks up to.

“My older sisters are very smart and they’re planning on doing a lot in general,” Cotton said. “My mom has five kids and I probably wouldn’t survive if I had five kids.”

In the future, Cotton plans to go to college, and study Psychology to one day study memory problems and mental illness. She also wants to travel abroad and live in France.