Sydney Schwichtenberg, who could pass for a human-version of the popular smiley face logo, tackles journalism in a deliberate way that allows her to excel. As a junior at Locust Grove High School, she serves as the main editor for the school newspaper. In her free time, she enjoys writing stories about mysteries and horror on a website through which she has won an award.
“I have always been drawn to these two genres since I was a little kid,” Schwichtenberg said, adding that she hopes to publish many books in her future.
In her extra time Schwichtenberg enjoys writing fictional horror and mystery stories drawn from her daily life. She said she receives inspiration mostly from the Discovery Channel, urban legends and Oklahoma state history.
In just three years later, Schwichtenberg has amassed 14,000 followers on Wattpad, a website where she publishes her stories, and that thousands of people follow.
“Most of the stories that I’ve made have a very minimal probability of happening (in real life),” Schwichtenberg said.
A large amount of her stories revolve around: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety, and how they fit into society, and focus on teenagers who struggle with themselves. Schwichtenberg’s stories have the underlying theme of no matter what; there is always good to be found in someone. In January, Schwichtenberg entered a story into a Wattpad competition under the undiscovered gem category. Though she was one of 12,000 entrants, Schwichtenberg won the Watty with a story about a young man who gets haunted by his past.
Aside from journalism, she said she is very fond of rescuing stray dogs with her mom. She said that since her family lives in a rural area, many dogs arrive randomly at her home. Schwichtenberg and her mom feed these dogs cat food because they discovered that the canines tend to eat that more than dog food. The duo have saved approximately 20 cats and dogs in the last 12 years. Schwichtenberg also has a dog of her own, named Mr. Pickles, whom she got in the sixth grade. He is a Chinese puff, a breed she has wanted since the third grade.
Schwichtenberg also offered several random facts beyond her interest in writing. She said she hates her natural strawberry blonde hair color, and her favorite nail polish color is a baby pink — unless she wants to be empowered, in which case she goes with black. Her future plans include moving to Iceland and having five kids.
“I enjoy the small towns that Iceland has because it’s a great place to create a family — and a story,” Schwichtenberg said.
