Whiz Kid: Sarah Rosen

Sarah Rosen isn’t a typical teen - She's written for four different newspapers -- including the Contra Costa Times and UC Berkeley's The Daily Californian -- and holds the position of Editor in Chief of Clayton Valley High School’s student newspaper, The Talon.

Sarah tells us she has quite a bit on her plate and she’s not kidding when she says it’s a lot to handle. 

But she has a system for making sure she gets it all done:

“To me, nothing is more important than incorporating balance in my life ... I get really stressed. I make sure to take breaks and take time to talk to my brothers or listen to music for fifteen minutes so I can calm down and refocus myself,” said Sarah, adding that she also has to factor in sports and soccer coaching schedules. 

And when she’s not writing, playing lacrosse, coaching or filling out college applications, Sarah spends her time rock climbing.

“I absolutely love to go rock climbing,” gushed Sarah, “... its the perfect combination of a really tough workout and fun, which is exactly what I want," she said. "... especially with the stress in my life”. 

And yet, Sarah has a seemingly simple goal for her future self:

“My biggest goal is just to be happy,” she said, smiling at the simplicity of this thought. “As simple as that sounds, I don’t think there’s a tougher goal."

Sarah said happiness means finding a job she'll love waking up to do each day.

"I’ll have built a life that I can be proud of, that has a balance of work and play”.

So what should one do to succeed in the world of high school journalism?

Sarah said persistence is key and that high schoolers should not be concerned about experienced and intimidating editors or journalists. No matter what one ends up doing, Sarah urges kids to “... make sure you will enjoy it, and never give up; no matter how much you may want to at the time”.