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Bloomer in the Spotlight đź
Meet Ianne, a student journalist and randonauting enthusiast.
Ianne is a busy high school senior from Missouri, who in addition to co-editing and reporting for her schoolâs news magazine, is also on the varsity dance team. Below, we chat about her randonauting adventures, side part controversy (iykyk), and how sheâs advocating for stronger COVID policies in her community.
Late Bloomer: Whatâs it like where you live?Â
Ianne: Where I live is like a big town. You get that vibe of âOh, I wish I was in New York right nowâ or âI wish I were anywhere but hereâ but I actually kind of like it. Itâs that halfway point between rural and city because weâre 30 minutes out from downtown St. Louis but if you go 30 minutes the other way, youâll end up on a farm. But I think itâs really nice. Itâs not too quiet, not too busy. I do wish it were more progressive. Things are a bit conservative here and I would just love to live in a more liberal place. Itâs hard to find others who think the way that I do, politically and socially. But people are really friendly here and despite the bad qualities, Iâve enjoyed growing up here.Â
LB: What do you and your friends like to do in non-pandemic times?Â
Ianne: Whenever I hang out with my friends, weâll maybe go to Target and then if we get booted out [laughs] weâll go to this one small shopping center. Thereâs not that much to do but if you look in the right places and if youâre with the right people, youâll have fun.Â
Weâve also just gotten into randonauting. Thatâs been a lot of fun. We found it through TikTok. Weâll use a randonauting app and just drive to some random house and try to make sense of our intentions and why it brought us there.Â
I will say our most interesting find with randonauting was that it brought us to a house that was super, super creepy. It just had these four chairs on the porch and theyâre not like regular lawn chairs that would be facing towards each other in case you want to have a conversation with someone. Theyâre facing out towards the street. The door was open but there seemed to be no one in the house. So that was pretty interesting.Â
LB: Do you find that people take the pandemic seriously where you live?Â
Ianne: Oh, no. Itâs actually very hard to find people who take it very seriously. Even at my school, teachers and some of our administrators donât wear masks right a lot of the time. Whenever you go to Wal-Mart or other stores, people donât wear masks correctly. They wear them below their nose. One time me and my friends were picking up take-out from this restaurant and we were just watching people walk in and out with no masks. We were like, âOh my goodness, I hope those people werenât in contact with our food.âÂ
LB: That must be really frustrating.Â
Ianne: Even people at my school who have had COVID are still partying and not paying attention to the rules. At this point, itâs just blatant ignorance. Itâs funny because itâs like, yâall really think youâre above the CDC? People with actual medical degrees are telling you to wear masks and you still canât do it.Â
With everything that's going on with COVID not just in Missouri but everywhere else, a lot of Gen Z kids, including myself, have found themselves in a position where they have to advocate for COVID school policies along with their normal schoolwork. It's a part of my everyday life now when I go to school witness masks not being worn correctly, seeing social distancing not made possible, and talk with my friends and work on different ways to fix that. As a senior, I think it's a waste of time to sit around and mope about how unusual this year is. I want to work on making my school a better, safer place when I graduate. That involves critiquing it and speaking out about it. I've written about how seniors have to take the lead on following COVID rules and advocating for students as a whole on my blog. I'm just hoping that other people realize that activism and advocacy is an integral part of Gen Z life that we were born into.
LB: I know this probably isnât the senior year you imagined, but are there certain activities or things youâre doing that make life feel semi-normal?Â
Ianne: Iâm part of my schoolâs varsity dance team and thatâs been a huge part of my life in high school. Weâve been so, so lucky to have a competition season this year. We started off having virtual practices in the spring and then we were eventually able to have them in-person. Our football games were a little bit different because we didnât have students at the gamesââit was just the parents. Same with the basketball games that we danced at. But I think we were just so blessed because I know some kids still arenât able to have their sports this year. Just being together and having that part of my life still be normal has been really nice. I think thatâs honestly what saved me this year.Â
Outside of dance, Iâm co-editor on my schoolâs magazine staff. Thatâs a huge part of my life as well. I do a lot of journalism in and out of school. I think the pandemic has actually really helped us because it invoked this sense of urgency and it allowed us to explore different avenues and ways to create content. Weâve been doing a lot of really cool online stuff and a lot of different things with our design that I donât think we would have turned our attention to without the pandemic. So thatâs been rewarding as well.
LB: Whatâs been your favorite story that youâve worked on so far?Â
Ianne: Thatâs a hard one. I have a lot of favorite stories. I wrote about my school librarian. She voted in the presidential election for the first time because she just became a U.S. citizen recently. That was awesome to interview her. My other favorite story is one about a friend of mine. Sheâs an activist for those affected by the green card backlog and immigration issues. Both of my favorite stories have been related to immigration, which is something Iâm passionate about and hits close to home because both my parents are immigrants. Getting to hear from them and share their stories with the world and educate others has been so fulfilling to me.Â
LB: Whatâs bringing you joy right now?Â
Ianne: I would say my hobbies, like writing. I have been in love with writing ever since I was little. In the past two years, Iâve been working on my blog. Itâs an opinion and travel blog called Parley & Pilot and I use it as an outlet for my writing. I havenât been able to write about my travels a lot of course because of the pandemic but Iâve been able to air out whatâs on my mind, like what itâs like to be an Asian-American in Missouri. Even with just the web design, Iâve been able to explore my abilities.Â
LB: Has anyone in your community or at your school addressed the rise of Asian hate crimes in the U.S.?Â
Ianne: No, not really. There have been some people I go to school with who are posting stuff on their [Instagram] Stories but thatâs not really starting a conversation. Itâs not really a thing thatâs talked about because there arenât a ton of Asian-Americans here in Missouri. But I would really love to see that conversation happen because itâs just not a thing that people think about.
LB: What are some of your favorite social media accounts you love to follow?Â
Ianne: @humansofny and @humans_of_stl on Instagram. I am obsessed with reading every post from these accounts. The stories of some of the people are incredibly inspiring and it's so cool to see that random people off the street are walking around with such rich histories on their backs.
Another one is @greyandmama on TikTok. That little boy is so adorable and polite. He is always so kind and happy whenever he sees food and my heart swells up whenever he says, "Thank you, mama.â
LB: Are you following the discourse right now where millennials are offended because Gen Zers are against side parts?Â
Ianne: Yes, Iâve seen that all over TikTok. I think itâs so funny that theyâre getting so worked up over hair. But I will say as someone who had a totally aggressive side part all the way until junior year and then during quarantine changed it to a middle part, my life has improved like 200 percent. The millennials just need to pay attention. It could really help them. They need to stay open-minded. I think the middle part has saved lives.
A few of Ianneâs favorite things:
Fizzy Pop incense: I burn incense all the time when I get stressed since it smells so homey and cozy. It's usually super cheap and there's all different types of holders that double as some cute decor for my room too. My favorite scent of incense I've bought is Fizzy Pop!
International Delight White Chocolate Raspberry creamer: I am hopelessly addicted to coffee like most teens but I recently started putting the International Delight White Chocolate Raspberry creamer in my morning cup and it is so, so good. At first, I didn't know how fruit would taste in coffee but it still retained the coffee taste and the raspberry blended really well (not sure why I'm talking like a Chopped judge here).
Notion:Â Notion is a website and app that is almost like Google Drive: It gives you templates for a lot of different things like taking notes, to-do lists, and habit tracking. I love making my daily to-do lists on there, and I have a couple of other pages like a tea log and a list of things that make me happy.
Mandarin Oranges Fruit Cups:Â I always make sure to have a mandarin orange cup with my lunch every day and I don't plan on stopping. I know the juice is loaded with sugar but it is still fruit so I am calling it healthy.Â
The New Yorker and Conde Nast Traveler: I'm an avid reader and I love reading The New Yorker and Conde Nast Traveler whenever I have downtime at school. I fell in love with the cultured articles of The New Yorker and how chill it is. My favorite article at the moment is âChronicles of a Bubble-Tea Addict.â I love looking at all the destinations on Conde Nast Traveler and planning trips I can't afford to go on.
tysm, Ianne! đź
Beyond the Algorithm đŽ
In our first issue, Margot raved about her favorite Boy Smells candle, which she described as âthe perfect blend of sweet, wood, and cigarette smoke.â Inspired by Margot and because everyone likes cozy, nice-smelling things, we asked: Whatâs your go-to candle that you love lighting up?Â
1. Cardamon & Vetiver by Hearth & Hand⢠with Magnolia
âMy favorite candle is the Cardamon & Vetiver candle from Target! I feel like it keeps me motivated and gives me some extra energy, so I always light it while doing homework or chores. I always get compliments on it whenever itâs lit while friends are over because it smells welcoming and energizing. Itâs in a kind of clay pot almost with itâs name in gray letters on the front. Itâs super aesthetic and matches my room perfectly.â ââMorgan Hausz, 16
2. Vanilla Bean Noel by Bath & Body Works
âIt smells a lot like vanilla and cookies but doesnât smell super sweet. I love it because it reminds me of Christmas time and Christmas is my favorite holiday!â ââAeyla BuĂąo, 14
Ingrid Maldonado, 18, is also a fan of the vanilla cookie scent.
âI don't necessarily have a name for my favorite candle but it's like a vanilla sugarcookie smell. It smells sweet like you just walked into a bakery full of fresh baked sweets like cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. I light this candle when I'm stressed and need to calm down and relax because it makes me feel extra cozy. I absolutely love coffee shops and bakeries and whenever I light this candle it makes me feel like I'm suddenly in one, especially with my string lights!â
âIt smells soooo good and has three wicks. (It was like $3 too!) It makes me happy and reminds me of my grandmother, who always had potpourri in her house.â ââMary Conner, 17
4. Fresh Orange by Bath & Body Works
âMy favorite candle is anything that smells like oranges. It reminds me of bright Sunday mornings with a fresh breakfast and cool morning air because thatâs when my mom would light up her candles when cooking. It makes me miss the times when life was simpler and happier.â ââGabriella De, 16
5. Roland Pine by Soap & Paper Factory
âIt smells just like Christmas trees! The packaging is so pretty and it burns for hours.â ââDylan Anderson, 14
Plz Advise đ
Hi Late Bloomer,
I have been really struggling with imposter syndrome recently. For example, I love to write, but oftentimes I find myself reading an article online or a book, and thinking to myself, âHow could I ever write like this?â I have especially been struggling with this during the college admissions process. Anytime I tell someone where I want to go to college, I worry about how I might look to them. I feel like theyâre thinking, âWho is she to ever think she could go there?!?!âÂ
Do you have any tips for dealing with this imposter syndrome?Â
ââFrances, 17
Hey Frances!
Your question makes me think of Mindy Kalingâs famous quote (and title of her second book): âWhy not me?â
Back when Mindy first started working on The Office at age 24, she was the only woman and only person of color in the writerâs room. She felt embarrassed for being a âdiversity hire.â At the time, Mindy might never have dreamed that sheâd go on to create *multiple* TV shows of her own where sheâd be calling the shots. But she could and she did and while she likely experienced moments of crippling self-doubt along the way, she ultimately believed she was no less capable of success than anyone else.
If you Google âimposter syndromeâ right now youâll find over 6 million results, which to me, is quite telling. That means that a lot a people are wondering the same thing as you. Some of the most talented people in the game feel like this. Just because youâre at the âtopâ doesnât mean these feelings disappear. As youâve probably gleaned, social media doesnât help in that it tends to show the highlight reels and not the doubts, struggles, and rejections that happen along the way. And as you navigate your way through life, youâll discover another well-kept secret: Some of the âbestâ people in the highest positions of power arenât even very good at their jobs. (But thatâs a whole other rant.)
Which, to paraphrase Queen Mindy, leads me to ask: Why not you?
Because like Mindy, youâre deserving of every opportunity you create for yourself. Because youâve got talent and potential inside of you that hasnât even had the chance to skim the surface. (Isnât that a cool thing to think about? Thereâs stuff you donât even KNOW youâre good at yet.) So put yourself out there. Shoot your shot. I donât think anyoneâs imposter syndrome ever fully goes away, which means you gotta practice this over and over again. And when that gremlin who lives in the dark corner of your brain makes a unwelcome appearance by questioning your abilities, I want you to tell him to STFU. Because he knows nothing. But YOU know youâre goodââgreat, even.
xo Late BloomerÂ
ICYMI đ
Some hopeful news: Maybe this summer wonât be so bad after all. Our fingers are double-crossed. đ¤đť
Itâs National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. A reminder to be gentle with yourself this week and always, and if youâre looking for resources, head here. đ
Amy Poehler will have what Gen Z is having: âIâm into what Gen Z is selling,â she tells The New York Times Magazine. âThere are a lot of cool conversations that feel inclusive. Whatever theyâre doing, theyâre doing it right.â đŻ
A writerâs quest to track down Phoebe Bridgersâ rocketship bedsheets. đ
In the meantime⌠â¨
Weâd trade our favorite Cornflakes-filled chocolate bar to sit in a dark theater and watch this Stanley Tucci movie while blowing snots into a used napkin (*sobs*).
And hereâs a song to get ya through the week:
P.S. We wanna hear from you! đ
Want to nominate a friend (or yourself!) for âBloomer in the Spotlightâ? Got a burning question for âPlz Adviseâ? A brilliant recommendation for âBeyond the Algorithmâ or an idea for something else?
Get in touch at latebloomernewsletter@gmail.com đ