The Hewitt Times

This year’s TEDxYouth@Hewitt event ran under the theme “What’s Your Spark?”. The audience saw a plethora of inspirational and fiery speakers, both live and in videos from past TED events. Among the speakers were three distinguished Hewitt alumnae: Sydney Sadick ’12, Alexandra Wexler ’06, and Sofia Stafford ’13. After their talks, I had the opportunity to spend some time with each of them to ask them about their passions:

Sydney Sadick ’12 found her spark in fashion and writing, so she founded her own blog StyleSolutionsNyc.com where she interviews celebrities, stylists, and designers in addition to posting her self-styled outfits. Sydney is currently studying at George Washington University.

Hewitt Times: How would you describe your style?

Sydney: Glamorous and sophisticated with an edge.

HT: Have you always wanted to work in the fashion business?

S: Yes, but it is more the journalism side of covering fashion. I’ve always loved to write, and I’ve always loved clothes, so I wanted to combine the two things that I love to make them into a profession instead of just a hobby, into something that I could probably make a living off of.

HT: Why is fashion important to you?

S: Fashion is important to me because I really feel like it is important to express yourself, and I like doing that through clothes and shoes. I feel like you can be whoever you want to be, and no one should judge you because it is a freedom of expression.

HT: Were there any opportunities at Hewitt that enabled you to express your love of fashion and design?

S: Dress down days, and I was editor of yearbook. That was great! It got me to bring my love for journalism and fashion into the school, and luckily they let me do it.

HT: Since Hewitt is a uniform school, how did you style your uniform?

S: I’ve always tried to incorporate my jewelry and shoes into my uniform. Always tried to do something different!

HT: What are some essentials for Hewitt girls this season?

S: I feel like a studded backpack, or booties with gold hardware, or a statement necklace, or a collared necklace that looks like you’re embellishing the button-down shirts. When you go out for lunch or during your break, wear cute sunglasses or opt for a fur vest.

________________________________________________________________

Alexandra Wexler ’06 is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal where she writes about the market for sugar, cocoa, and cotton. Alexandra graduated from Duke University with an undergraduate degree in political science, a minor in English, and a certificate in journalism. She then received a MA in journalism from Stanford University, where she was awarded the 2011 Daniel Pearl Memorial Journalism Internship.

HT: Why are you interested in writing about commodities? Why is reporting on commodities important?

Alexandra: Commodities are interesting because they affect every part of our lives. I cover cotton for example; cotton is in our clothes, so what happens to the price of cotton affects the price of clothing. In a good economy, you might buy more clothing, in a bad economy, you might buy less. That also affects the price of cotton. There’s this conveyor belt of information that goes both ways. The price of chocolate is affected by cocoa prices. These are things that are fun to read about and they affect your everyday life.

HT: What sparked your interest in journalism? When did you know you wanted to become a reporter?

A: When I was a freshman at Duke, I took a class called ‘Intro to International Relations.’ We had to read the international section of two newspapers, I think the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal every day. I’d never done that before. I started reading these international articles and thought, “This is so fascinating.” In 45 minutes, you can get caught up on every major event that is going on around the world in Asia, Africa, Europe. It gives you this base of knowledge that is unreal and you feel like you’re connected to the world in a way that is not possible if you don’t read news and don’t pay attention to what’s going on around the world. I found it really fascinating and I always loved writing. That culmination of international events and writing gave me the idea that maybe I would love journalism, so I started writing for the Duke Chronicle, which is the daily newspaper. That’s when I got started with journalism. That’s when I thought, “Wow, this is something I can do for a living.” It provides the opportunity to travel all over the world and cover all different stories. You’re in the first draft of history at these events that change the world, and people talk about it for a while afterwards. I thought that opportunity was amazing.

HT: What are some key qualities of being a journalist?

A: You have to be a little outgoing or at least overcome shyness. You have to be a good writer and an even better listener. You have to have a passion and the ability to tell a story in a way that is interesting to people. If you have all of those qualities and a desire to tell people things they don’t know about, you’re going to be a good journalist.

HT: In a current events piece for example, how do you think the facts and good writing relate?

A: It is an interesting marriage. You have to have the facts or you don’t have a story. You have to have the facts down, but no one is going to care about it unless you can write it in a way that’s easy to read and makes it interesting. You definitely need both things; you can’t have one without the other. That’s the mark of someone who is a good journalist. You have to have the dedication to finding the facts and make sure the facts support whatever you want to say and saying it in a  way that’s interesting to people.

HT: In your years at Hewitt, what clubs or classes did you particularly enjoy?

A: I was in the Art Club at Hewitt because I like painting and sculpture. That was the only opportunity I had for art in high school. I also joined The Women’s Issues Club for which I wrote some pieces. I did a lot of creative writing for extra credit in English. I would always do anything that involved writing. Even if it was extra work, I loved it! My creative writing ended up in the publications, like Enterprise and Venturer. It was a nice outlet for my creative pieces and other memoir-type stories.

HT: What advice would you give to Hewitt girls who are having a hard time finding what they’re passionate about?

A: I would say just try a lot of different things. Think about something you like; you don’t necessarily have to have a passion about it, and then think about other interests that relate to it. Take something you like and branch off of it. For example, to go back to my commodities, if you love eating chocolate, that’s not a hobby or a passion, but maybe you can explore baking or cooking classes. Look at internships at The Hershey’s Company or larger corporations like Nestles.  Take time to explore some of your interests; there is a limitless amount of opportunities out there that will match up with your spark.

________________________________________________________________

Sofia Stafford ’13 is passionate about global health, service, and women’s right. She served as a National Teen Advisor for the UN campaign, Girl Up, which seeks to educate girls in under developed countries. Sofia is driven by the question “How is it that I had the opportunity to receive and education because of the place I was born?” She is currently a freshman at Duke University studying global health.

HT: Since you were chair and founder of the community service board at Hewitt, why is community service important to you? What is the value of having students lead in community service?

S: I think community service and social justice should play a vital role in all of our lives because we as students have all received opportunities because of our education and the freedom we have to make choices that will determine our future. Building a habit of volunteerism as middle and high school students is important in ensuring that as we get older and go into various jobs, we still make an effort to give back to our communities. The values and lessons learned while volunteering and doing service are ones that cannot be learned in the classroom but are extremely important in becoming well informed and aware citizens.

HT: When volunteering outside of the United States, what is one encounter or experience you had that stuck with you?

S: My trip to Guatemala with Girl Up! It was an incredible experience to see the impact the UN program is having on the lives of the girls there. However, the trip also made me realize how much more there is left to do and how whatever I end up doing in the long run needs to relate to helping provide girls the tools they need to empower themselves.

HT: Has attending an all-girls school impacted you in any way?

S: Going to an all girls school for a majority of my life provided me with incredible opportunities and the confidence I need to use my voice. When I first learned about the issues that girls around the world face such as not having access to education or healthcare, and issues like child marriage and violence, I was shocked, but I also moved to action. One experience or opportunity led to another and I keep building on that initial “spark.”

HT: What advice would you give to Hewitt girls who are having a hard time finding what they’re passionate about?

S: I mentioned this in my talk, but I would say, “Be open and run with it.” Take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves and create ones when they don’t. Hewitt offers you so many opportunities…from field trips to speakers, classes and clubs. You don’t have to say “yes” to everything or attend every event, but trying new things and building upon experiences will lead you to finding your spark.