About MeHi, my name is Jae Jepsen. I discovered my love of journalism in my junior year of high school, and since then it has become clear to me that writing and reporting are absolutely my passion, and I now plan to dedicate my career to the field of journalism.
My first experience in journalism came in a Publications course my junior year, when I served as News Editor and got to experience not just writing, but elements of editing and design as well. Later that year, I joined Honors Journalism, where I wrote an online article each week for an entire semester, as well as being Copy Editor and creating online media, including video news. During the summer of 2023, I attended the selective Boston University Summer Journalism Institute, where I learned from a college journalism professor and reported in Boston for three weeks. You can read my work at the institute here. Now, I'm back to the Spartan Shield, where I am honored to serve as this year's online Editor-in-Chief. The position and site mean the world to me, and having to opportunity to report in my community is incredible. |
Accolades
- 2024 JEA Student Journalist Impact Award recipient
- ISHPA second place Writer of the Year
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B school news story for "Mishandled election recount leaves school board position undecided"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B social justice reporting for "'I felt like I was just a shadow': PV fails to meet expectation of inclusivity"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 First Place for Class B staff editorial for"'I felt like I was just a shadow': PV fails to meet expectation of inclusivity"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Second Place for Class B school news story for "PV community gathers for pivotal conversations at pre-election school board forum"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Second Place for Class B staff editorial for "Bulletproof ignorance: America's disturbing numbness to gun violence"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Second Place for Class B column/opinion for "Unfounded criticism of Taylor Swift enters America's game"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Third Place for Class B in-depth news story for "In the crosshairs: AEA services at risk amid Iowa educational reform bill"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Third Place for Class B news photo for "Walkout"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Third Place for Class B video story for "PV Celebrates 50 Years of Girls Basketball"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Honorable Mention for Class B school news story for "School board election showcases polarization in battle for educational leadership"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2024 Honorable Mention for Class B online innovation for "Interview with school board candidate"
- 10 time published writer, Best of Student Newspapers Online (SNO) (2024)
- Editor-in-Chief of SNO Distinguished Site (2024)
- Editor-in-Chief of IHSPA 2023 News Team of the Year
- Stamps Scholar Semifinalist (2024)
- Student Journalist at Boston University Summer Journalism Institute (2023)
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2023 Honorable Mention for Class B video story for "Swords and Storytelling: PV Theatre's experiments with stage combat"
- IHSPA Spring Contest 2023 Second Place for Class B feature story for "PV Drama pulls back curtain on new 'Spartan Spotlighters' production"
- 4.39 GPA
Personal Narrative
My most prized possessions live in a box in my closet. I rarely revisit them, but I treasure them with my whole heart. These are my travel journals, a collection of entries documenting my experience in all of the wonderful places I’ve had the opportunity to visit. I’ve spent seven years filling them with the stories that shaped who I am and the causes I am passionate about.
In hindsight, my habit of journaling began long before I began traveling with a pen in hand. Long-abandoned notebooks littered my childhood bedroom, each filled with miscellaneous stories and retellings. Some descriptions span entire days, others only capturing a moment before some other shiny thing caught my attention. But each entry is a snapshot into who I was at the time when I wrote it. Some works are pieces of fiction, littered with messy illustrations and packed with as many characters as possible. “Kate and Charlie were reading a book. It was a normal day,” one story begins. “Mom was doing dishes. Then,” it abruptly cuts off. Other notebooks contain early attempts at a travel journal–brief descriptions of my day’s happenings, lists of everything I can see from a window, and plans for the following days. A journal with only two entries details the beginning of a trip to Nicaragua, during which I: “went down a waterslide, ate noodles, and walked into a museum that was mostly boring.” The remainder of that vacation is lost to time, documented only in memory and photographs. |
By the time I committed to a complete travel journal, I was ready for a streamlined and honest account of each day. And for the most part, that’s what I wrote, but there were always exceptions. On one trip to Cambodia, I was so distressed by the stray dog population that it was the only thing I could focus on. Why was nobody doing anything about it? My eight-year-old mind spent days contemplating the dilemma before finally coming to a solution: no one had told them. If I counted all the dogs, I could tell everyone about them, and the Humane Society would come to the rescue. Nevermind that the organization was in Iowa, 8,000 miles across the ocean. Once they knew about it, they would fix it. For the rest of our trip, I dutifully tallied the animals in my notebook, determined to solve the problem. Before I even was able to assign the title to myself, I was acting as a reporter, attempting to cultivate change with my voice. It’s fitting, then, that I have grown to love journalism, and hope to have a career as a journalist.
Naturally, my writing style has changed since that fateful trip to Cambodia. I fill my travel journals with memories, reserving activism for other projects. But I haven’t stopped noticing things. I still write down the injustices I see, but instead of letting these observations live in the back of my closet, I hope to fulfill my promises, and use my writing to inspire positive change in our world.
Naturally, my writing style has changed since that fateful trip to Cambodia. I fill my travel journals with memories, reserving activism for other projects. But I haven’t stopped noticing things. I still write down the injustices I see, but instead of letting these observations live in the back of my closet, I hope to fulfill my promises, and use my writing to inspire positive change in our world.
Recommendations
Staff
"Ever since I have met Jae, she has been the most hard working, diligent and thorough journalist. Jae always makes time to improve The Spartan Shield, whether it be through her working on her own writing or helping others. Jae is a true example of journalistic integrity and inspires the rest of her staff on a daily basis. Jae is truly unique in her ability to research, write and reach the broad viewership she has gained. Her swift and sincere journalistic abilities have been showcased again and again, especially through her continued site coverage about the school board election. Jae’s commitment to journalism surpasses any other student I have met. I can truly distinguish Jae’s genuine love and interest in advancing her career as a journalist." Prerna Vanga, Assistant Editor-in-Chief "Jae is always willing to give constructive advice and helps anyone on staff to be the best journalist they can be!" Ayah Alshiekha, Lead Editor "As a leader, Jae both collaborates and commands attention — when she leads pitch days, she both works with her classmates to develop story ideas while keeping the class on an efficient track. I can also tell that her staff is very comfortable around her, constantly coming up to her with questions or new ideas; they know that she will not only listen, but act. As a journalist, on the other end, she is persistent; her ability to secure interviews with the school board candidates and press them with hard-hitting questions to get their honest answers was very impressive and, I think, crucial to the outcome of the school board election. Once something piques her interest, she’ll dive head first into the topic, interviewing people with multiple different perspectives and asking difficult questions until she finds all of her necessary information." Celia Brown, Print Editor-in-Chief Adviser |