By Savannah Kannberg
Savannah Kannberg was drawn to journalism at a young age because she was determined to get her questions answered. She has written articles investigating: why drinks that mix caffeine and alcohol such as Four Loko were removed from store shelves; the real deal on complicated zoning issues; and even why her classmates couldn't let go of their ugly, fuzzy boots.
By age 15, Kannberg's reporting and design work earned her a Dow Jones Newspaper Fund scholarship to attend the Missouri Urban Journalism Workshop. While at MUJW, she learned convergence and broadcast journalism.
When Kannberg was in middle school, she called boutiques and found a charming one in Chagrin Falls that allowed her and her models to borrow clothes for a two-page feature on summer fashion. At the same time, Kannberg reviewed products for The Plain Dealer?s Beauty Panel.
As People Editor her sophomore year on the Solon High School Courier, Kannberg came up with over 600 unique questions for monthly profiles of students. She was Technology Editor and oversaw the staff?s use of Adobe InDesign and Photoshop.
Her junior year, Kannberg dabbled in broadcast journalism as a sideline reporter for the local cable coverage of Solon High School football games. By senior year, she discovered her true love: design.
As Design Editor, Kannberg oversaw all design elements of the Courier, including a redesign. Some of her doubletruck features include: a look at the many countries SHS students visit; how lost tax revenue affects Solon Schools; and tips on how to succeed on AP exams.
For her senior project, she worked with journalists at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. This fall, Kannberg will attend the University of Missouri where she will pursue emerging media and multimedia design at the School of Journalism. She was reporting for The Maneater, an independent college newspaper in Columbia, Mo., this summer.
She graduated with honors from Solon High School on June 2.
Hanna Moosa headed off to PePaul University to study journalism in the fall of 2010, and despite the dire warnings she has heard about the state of the field today, she was thrilled.
A graduate of West Geauga High School, Moosa is determined to prepare herself for a career doing what she loves: “I love to write,” she told a roomful of supporters at the May 18, 2010, luncheon where she was honored as the year's recipient of the Cleveland Pro Chapter's annual Phillip W. Porter Scholarship, worth $4,000 over the next four years. She was responding to a question from Jae-won Lee, chair of the chapter's scholarship committee that selected Moosa as this year's winner.
Given the state of journalism today, Lee asked, why do you want to do it?
“I’ve always enjoyed writing, and found that I had a knack for it at a young age. As I’ve gone through high school, I feel like I have begun to capture the art of storytelling,” Moosa explained in an interview afterwards. “This is a skill that will always be needed in the future because it is always necessary to inform the public.
“That's why I find the field so fascinating — I view the evolving state of journalism as a great opportunity for my future!”
Moosa knows something about journalism already: She was assistant editor of The Whirlwind, which is the school's newspaper, as well as a copy editor at The Westwind, which is the yearbook. She has done everything from writing stories to laying out pages and running meetings with the newspaper's student staff.
Her journalism experience doesn’t stop there. She was the regular broadcaster of morning announcements on West G.T.V. and videotaped school events ranging from sports to dances for the TV station.
Juggling a busy schedule will not be a new skill for Moosa, who was a star athlete, as co-captain of the school's varsity gymnastics team last year. In addition, she was a student council leader, performer in West Geauga's school musicals, choir member and volunterr gymnastics teacher.
Did we mention that she also had a part-time job doing data entry and editing fact sheets at Dynamac Corporation? Whew! The fast pace of journalism may not be a problem for this young woman!
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