about
Hey there! My name is Arianna Zhu. I'm 16 years old and a student at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California. I'm an editor for Scot Scoop and a student athlete on my school's tennis and swim team.
Welcome to my about page!
my story
Journalism was never part of the plan. My freshman self never once thought of joining Carlmont's journalism program, nor did my sophomore self. Despite this, it has been one of the best decisions I've made in my high school career. The journalism program offers almost everything I could hope for in a class. As a writer, I get much creative freedom over the topics I cover. I can write what I am passionate about, and I have met so many impossibly cool and accomplished people while looking for sources. As an editor, I get to meet new writers and help them discover their own unique writing voice and improve on my own. Talking to my writers about their story ideas and giving suggestions on how to further improve makes me look at my own writing with a magnifying glass; I have learned a lot about myself as a writer through editing. Add the fact that we often have holiday parties and everyone in the journalism program is incredibly close, and you'll understand why I look forward to journalism every day.
A biology nerd with a minor book addiction, I have loved science, reading, and writing since I was young. My passion for reading started when I first stepped foot into a library. Like most kids with an overactive imagination, it wasn't the concept of learning new things that appealed to me; rather, reading was a way for me to escape to a fantastical world where kids went on magical adventures and alicorns existed. I started my reading journey with fantasy books, then defected to fiction, moved on to memoirs and biographies, and finally, tried my hand at writing my own stories. Although I never did write a book like my younger self had originally envisioned, I discovered a new avenue to cultivate my writing skills: journalism.
And that is how I went from a biology nerd and book addict to a biology nerd, book addict, and journalist. Although I'm still not quite sure what I want to do in the future, I am certain that writing will be a part of it.