Tween Girl Summit Serenade

My first assignment was empowering and tuneful!

My first assignment for the Scholastic Kids Press Corps was to cover the Tween Girl Summit held in Washington, D.C. recently. There were so many teenagers! I only found 10 people about my age, which is 10.

These girls came from all over the U.S. to participate in this summit. Celebrities, Olympic athletes, game-makers, and leaders in their fields all came to talk to tween girls (ages 9-14) about how they can reach any goal they set for themselves. The sky’s the limit, we were told.

I interviewed Jessica Mendoza, a two-time Olympic medalist. She was on the U.S. Women’s Softball team at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008. I also spoke to singer/songwriter Laura Warshauer, and Disney TV star Debby Ryan!

When I was waiting for the interview with Mendoza, I was kind of nervous because this was my first interview. She was late, so I started talking to Laura Warshauer, who decided to play me her latest song, Alive. It was really cool to be serenaded by a professional entertainer (see video above).

When I was interviewing Debby Ryan, I nearly freaked out! I’ve never been up close and personal with anyone from a TV show before. My first impression of her reminded me of her character, Bailey Pickett, from Suite Life on Deck. She was there as an advocate for tween girls.

For me I think the most fun at the event was the Exhibit Hall. It’s where the sponsors show off their stuff. It was really interesting.

I learned a lot covering my first event as a Kid Reporter. First, I learned to take as many notes as possible, take lots of pictures, and get homework out of the way first so I can meet my deadline!

—Alexandra Zhang

Comments

[Miranda R]

Cool! It sounds like you had a lot of fun, and congrats on becoming a kid reporter. I'm new too.

[Denise]

Alexandra,
Hi. This is Denise from AllyKatzz. Love reading your reports... you're a great reporter!

xoxo,
Denise