Blank Spaces Welcomes a Junior Editor to the Volunteer Team

In late June, I had the privilege of welcoming high school student Jaylynn to the Blank Spaces office, where she spent a day shadowing me. She came armed with questions, passionate about writing her own series of books, and with intentional plans to pursue a career in publishing. Her keen interest in everything Blank Spaces is doing prompted me to invite her to take on the role of junior editor. As such, Jaylynn will be serving as an editor for upcoming issues, as well as helping with judging our quarterly contests.

Jaylynn doing a little reading at the Chicken House Press/Blank Spaces office

She shares a little more about herself in her own words below:

My name is Jaylynn McDonald. I’m a Grade 11 student at Sacred Heart High School in Walkerton, Ontario, and I’m more than thrilled with the opportunity I was given to help out with Blank Spaces magazine. As a kid, I was known for my skill with the English language. Whether it came to reading or writing, I enjoyed both! I’ve done my best to further enhance this talent by writing about anything that inspires me, such as my own experiences or events, songs I’ve heard, or simply topics I research to advance my knowledge about the world around me.

This past semester, I was lucky to participate in a course called Genesis—it’s all about exploring and appreciating the outdoors. It took me a bit out of my comfort zone, but taught me many important life principles. My classmates and I went on several different trips that included biking, canoeing, and back-country camping. As part of the Genesis credit, a 5 week co-op placement was offered. Although my placement wasn’t exactly what I expected, I was also given the opportunity to meet with Alanna Rusnak. Not only was I able to experience a once-in-a-lifetime class of cherishing the world we live in, but I was also given a look at the diverse world of workplaces available to me post graduation.

Now that I’m approaching high school graduation, my grandfather has taken every opportunity to push the idea of working in the law industry. I appreciate his encouragement, but I find it interesting that almost every time I see him, he has a newspaper in hand, and reads every article. I can’t guarantee that I will fulfill his hopes of me becoming an expert in the law, but I’m sure he’d be happy to someday find himself reading articles I wrote. Now that I’ve been given the opportunity to work behind the scenes of this magazine, that seems even more possible.

Many kids my age would consider their future to be unknown, they’re still questioning potential career paths. I’ve had my heart set on pursuing a career within journalism and authorship. Anyone who knows me personally can confirm these plans of mine as I’ve rambled on about them frequently for several years.

Now that I’ve been given the opportunity to experience the world of journalism and stories with Blank Spaces, I hope this can give me an idea of where I belong in the universe of writing. I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity and excited for what it brings in the near future.