Meet our newest team member, summer intern Meghan Aslin!
Meghan's been with High Ground since June, and her time as an intern is coming to a close. She's already written two stellar stories and will continue on as a High Ground freelance writer post-summer.
At just 17 years-old, it's already clear she has a keen eye for interviewing and a skill for honing a compelling story.
Find her first two High Ground articles here:
"Cxffeeblack serves its brew with a side of history and anti-gentrification"
"Memphis-based West Cancer Center joins national alliance to close diversity gap in medical research"
Keep up with
her author page here to catch her next piece on local renters rights and Neighborhood Preservation Inc.'s new handy one-page renters rights guide.
Meghan starts her senior year at St. Mary's Episcopal School on August 16, where she'll serve as editor in chief of the student publication, "Tatler," for the 2021-22 school year. She also runs tracks for St. Mary's.
Post-high school, Meghan plans to pursue a journalism major at the University of Missouri's acclaimed Missouri School of Journalism.
Learn more about what drives this bright and dedicated teen in this quick Q & A!
So what do you do for fun?
Music. I play guitar, I play drums, piano. I love just riding around Memphis. I like to go to record stores. Just kind of explore.
What's your favorite band?
Right now it's Boston. I also like Talking Heads. I really like "dad music." I'm obsessed with David Byrne.
What have you liked about professional journalism so far?
It's just completely different from anything that I've ever done. It's like a kind of a dose of the real world, you know?
The world's pretty wild right now. What are your thoughts on life as an almost-adult in 2021?
I'm just kind of taking it one day at a time. We're just doing the best that we can. 'It is what it is,' is kind of what I'm starting to learn —that nothing is super for sure, so just lean into the communities and the people you know you have and don't take that for granted.
What got you into writing and journalism?
Honestly, it was kind of just coincidence. I wasn't really that passionate about writing, I was really more into music. That was kind of my thing going into high school. My mom actually made me apply for "Tatler" my freshman year, and I just kind of fell in love with it. I really liked the community.
What do you love about journalism?
It's almost like a puzzle to me. I can go and find pieces of evidence, quotes and stuff, that say the exact point I'm trying to make. Or if I'm not a person that's really qualified to make a statement, I can go learn. Then I can further educate people around me in a respectful way and in a proper way that I might not be able to do by myself. I think that it's a good way to educate people further and do it in the right way.
Why did you want to intern with High Ground?
I was really close with Kiki Whartenby. She interned with y'all, and she would talk about it all the time and how it was a really cool experience. Going into high school, I really wanted to have an internship before college; that was like my dream. But once COVID hit, that kind of went off the table for me. When y'all reached out, I was just really, really excited. I wasn't expecting it at all.
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