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Miami Palmetto High School senior Savanna Byles is the design editor for The Panther, the school newspaper.
“I’ve designed 13 copies,” she says. “Journalism is something I’m considering in my future.
I love writing and design. I like breaking news. It’s important for students to learn about this stuff.”
She believes newspapers give students valuable information.
“We usually do breaking news on the online site,” she says, however, they still have print editions. “I think journalism is important.”
She loves design and she is tech savvy, but she also writes for the online paper every month. Sometimes it’s a feature and other times she writes an opinion piece.
Last year she took part in a two-week Scholastic journalism program at Columbia University with other members of the newspaper team. They learned from media professionals who now work at Columbia.
At Palmetto, she’s a member of the Health Information Project (HIP) which teaches health information to freshmen.
“I love HIP,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to be in HIP. I love connecting with underclassmen and giving good advice. I just like to see how it impacts students’ lives.”
The kids learn to trust the HIP peer counselors, so at one point, a student who was going through something personal confided in her. She was able to help the student by connecting them to a school counselor.
“We have a specific counselor who works with issues,” she says. “It’s totally anonymous. We try to help them, and they know it’s a safe space.”
Byles is also a member of LEO, which is the club that organizes and promotes blood drives at school.
“We’re getting members, going to classes and getting people who are 17 plus to sign up for it,” she says. “I have been in about five blood drives.”
During the blood drives, they have a room for the students to go to and they have drinks and pizza available to stabilize the people who get weak afterward. They also reward each donor with a tote bag.
The other clubs she’s active in include the Fashion Club, where she is the vice president. This year fashion club members hope to do a runway show.
“Everything would be our own designs,” she says. “We have different departments, fashion design, models, and make-up. Everyone can do their own things.”
She’s also secretary of Women of Tomorrow, a club designed to empower the women the girls will become. The club features speakers who are in leadership roles in the community.
“One month we had a news anchor,” she says. “We also go on numerous field trips. We went to a courthouse and sat in on a case.”
Byles is a member of the class cabinet. She’s been in the cabinet both her junior and senior years.
Outside of school she participates in a group called Girls Create.
“We do focus groups,” she says. “We work with brands. I do get paid for that. So, they can know what teens are interested in, what we think, and what we are looking for. It’s a diverse group.”
She has been a member since seventh grade.
Her family life includes being a devoted aunt. She babysits her nephew twice a week because she loves babysitting for family members.
For college, Byles is considering Florida universities as well as universities in the northeast.
Her list includes New York University (she grew up in NY), Syracuse, Boston University, Florida State University and the University of Miami. Her major will be journalism or marketing, depending on which school she attends.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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