On the second day of school of their sophomore year in Detroit, Ashlyn Watson, 12, was sitting in advisory when their teacher announced that there was an open spot for the Student Television Show Announcements, for anyone willing to drop their first hour.
“I had intro to psychology [first hour], and I was like, you know what, I’ll drop it, and try something new. I saw the announcements during fourth hour last year, and I thought it was really cool, but I didn’t know anything about journalism or video. I didn’t like my first hour anyways; I didn’t think it was for me,” Watson said.
This decision was just the beginning of Watson’s journalism career. Shortly after joining STS, Watson was able to report for the University of Michigan’s Gymnastics team.
“I was filming special features, which was about sports, but I was able to get [press] access to the [University of] Michigan gymnastics meet. I literally got to be right next to all of the gymnasts and the reporters. I was like, ‘this is what I want to do for the rest of my life’. I want to be a reporter, whether that is writing or the video stuff,” Watson said.
Reporting for the gymnastics meet opened up Watson’s eyes to the world of sports journalism. Watson was able to cover more sports at her school, and will continue to work on sports media in the future.
“I hadn’t had any experience [in writing or broadcast], but everyone in the class was very welcoming and taught me how to do it, and I owe everything to my teacher,” Watson said. “It’s just amazing how one class just changed my life, forever.”
Watson’s family had attended KU and Watson had always planned to attend KU as well. With this in mind, Watson decided to move back to Kansas to live with their grandparents to reunite with childhood friends, get in-state tuition in college, as well as solidify their decision to pursue journalism.
“[The decision on moving back to Kansas] was all on my end. My parents are still up in Michigan and I’m living with my grandparents right now. It’s all really crazy, but all my family lives here and I grew up here, so I wanted to come back,” Watson explained.
Watson is now a part of SPUB, the A/V Club, and video production. Watson still plans to pursue journalism and attend KU. They actively edit videos of high school sports and publish them to Instagram. Watson also works on the “Rein It In” podcast located on stampedenew.net.
