Joslyn Shewey is a freshman at Hillcrest High School with a passion for theater, outdoor adventures, and English language arts. You’ll often find Shewey on the stage, preparing for an upcoming theater performance.
“I’ve done community theater a couple of times before, and I’m in the school play Wendy and Peter Pan,” Shewey says. “I’m in the ensemble as a shadow. I think my favorite part has been watching everything come together over the months we’ve been rehearsing.”
When she’s not shining under stage lights, Shewey spends her time in the wilderness.
“I’ve been doing Scouts since they started allowing girls into Cub Scouts. Currently, I’m almost at my Star rank, which is two ranks away from Eagle. I have been operating as Troop 8410’s patrol leader for the last two or so years. Every year, they have a week-long summer camp, and it’s nice. There’s a lot of camaraderie, especially since we have a small troop.”
With all her activities, Shewey’s high school life is jam-packed and busy. When asked what she does in her free time, she answered, “I don’t remember free time. It’s sort of like the sun, which I haven’t seen since September.”
In those rare moments where Shewey has a few spare seconds, she spends them reading and writing. Her favorite books are Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Unsurprisingly, English class earns the position of her favorite subject.
“I like English because there isn’t any right answer,” Shewey resolves. “In a lot of other subjects, you’re either right or you’re wrong. There’s one right way to do things, and if you don’t do it that way and you don’t get your answer, then you’re just wrong. With English, you have the freedom to say what you want as long as you can convince other people that it’s true.”
Writing is another reason Shewey loves English. In fact, she enjoys it so much, she’s eager to write outside of school.
“I write essays to argue with my dad about dumb things that don’t matter. We were arguing about the age-old cats versus dogs, and he said that dogs are more loyal than cats, so I spent a whole Friday night writing an essay on why he was wrong,” Shewey recalls.
But argumentative essays aren’t the only thing that Shewey crafts with her words. She loves to come up with stories and hopes to become an inspirational author.
“I want to tell stories to help kids feel less alone,” she says. “Stories are a safe place for those who don’t fit in to find themselves and their place. I want to be part of that magic.”
