Kelsey Looney started her summer off like any other, but ended up finding her passion.

Looney, a freshman, had the chance to experience JBA. JBA (Joseph Baldwin Academy) allows high achieving students to get a head start of their future university careers by spending three weeks as a college freshman at Truman State University in Kirksville Mo. Freshman Erick Ascencio also had a chance to go to JBA.

“It was one of the best things that happened to me,” Ascencio said. 

Looney decided to take a journalism class at JBA. The class ran from 9 a.m. to around 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. During the three weeks, she worked to write her first story.

“I never knew I had an interest in it but I took the course and it sparked something in me,” Looney said.  She soon became interested in journalism and decided to take the course in high school.

She plans to stay in the class all four years.

“I like how you can meet a lot of new people,” she said. “You’ll never get the same story twice.”

Looney hopes to become a journalist as a career and wants to inform people on upcoming events. She gets good grades and enjoys painting and doodling in her free time. Her friends keep her motivated, and she is inspired by her sister who she describes as a strong person. Looney hopes to be reporting and writing for many years to come.