Hi! My name is Claire Prater and I’m a senior at Central Hardin. This is my second year on The Central Times staff.
From a young age, I have always loved to write. I kept a journal throughout elementary school where I would write short stories or about the things I saw that inspired me. I participated in a writing club called “Cubs with Quills” at Creekside Elementary and convinced myself that fictional writing was what I wanted to make a career out of. Up until about four years ago, if you would have asked me what I wanted to do when I was an adult, I would have told you that I wanted to write young adult fiction books.
My 8th grade year, I seemed to lose sight of that passion. I had no idea what I even liked. The pressures of middle school and fitting in took me over. They made me question who I was. Though, I still knew I had a way with words, and it appeared my teachers knew too through my grades on written assignments.
In January of my sophomore year, when scheduling for my junior year, I thought that taking a journalism class would be a fun thing to take up some elective spots. I knew I was a “good” writer. I knew I could write an English paper in less than an hour. So I thought I could spend some low-stress time writing something fun. However, the newspaper did far more for me than I could have imagined.
Being on the staff, I found a place where I felt like I truly belonged. I met people I would have never spoken to had I not taken this class. I also had the opportunity to learn about what really goes on in our school. I learned that I had a passion for not only sharing the truth with the student body, but also sharing how they felt about the things going on around them. I realized that I didn’t want to write fiction books in my future. I discovered that my real passion lies in journalistic style writing.
This year I want to continue sharing news with you, but I also want to share about the other things I love.
I love music, specifically Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Olivia Rodrigo. I also love coffee, films, books, and government. I want to be able to share articles about those things with you as well.
Ultimately though, I want my writing to make you feel something. Whether it be peace in finding something that you relate to, empowerment to make a change, or simply pleasure in reading something that you enjoy. I am so excited to get started sharing with you all.
I would love to chat with you guys! Whether it be to answer your questions, discuss things going on in our community, or about something casual. You can contact me through Instagram DM or email, which are both linked!
