Ever had something that is sacred to you? Something that is just yours or even a hobby that just gives you euphoric peace? For junior Noelle Williams of Paint Branch High School, that thing is her art. 

For Noelle, who “isn’t a very outspoken person,” her art allows her a safe space to speak without using her mouth. Her art is free of judgment and a place to let her artistic mindset flow. Noelle protects her art because it doesn’t force her to conform to anything, which is similar to her approach when it comes to her close friends and family.

As a teenager, your parents or even sometimes your siblings aren’t always the first people that you run to for validity or to vent, and Noelle is no different. Noelle’s first option is always her friends, which is why she appreciates friends that stick closer than family. She values and surrounds herself with people who understand the importance of “listening”. She loves the comfort she gets from the knowledge that her friends will always be there, that they “know how to respond to energy very well,”  and that they allow her to be herself.

 Modern-day society loves to place labels on everything, but Noelle doesn’t conform to any labels. She loves spending time with her friends, playing video games, and occasionally playing sports. While she plays video games and has the ability to play sports, she wouldn’t label herself a gamer or an athlete;  she’s just a person who can have a good time “regardless of what is being given or thrown out.”

When Noelle finds herself at home with free time she spends that time occupying her dogs or watching TV. She has two dogs, Hera and Theia. While Theia is the type of dog to spend more time with her familiar people rather than strangers, Noelle spends more time with Hera, the social dog.  A TV show she may find herself watching often is the animated sitcom “South Park.” She also gravitates toward the 1989 drama Heathers. 

The love Noelle has for Heathers  is because it offers a vast variety of societal views, which influences the choice of topics in her writing. The privilege of exploring many different societal issues while being able to then offer her own is what makes journalism worthwhile for her.

By: Chaya Blount