Hi everyone. My name is Jaime Cao and I am excited to be joining the Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter as an intern. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be interning here while digging deeper into the journalism world as my first internship.

I am currently 15 years old and a sophomore at Gibson Ek High School. Being a student at an innovative school that allows me to pursue my interests through projects and internships is what, thankfully, led me to the Reporter. I’ve lived in Sammamish since I was 2 and attend school in Issaquah, so I’m thrilled to be writing for the cities that I’ve grown up in.

Besides writing, I also have a love for fashion and traveling. Recently, I started a fashion blog, The Jaime Issue, an outlet for me to share my personal style with others. Fashion has played such a crucial part in my life these past few years. Always having been more of a reserved individual, I think of fashion as a way to express myself without having to speak.

I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to travel to numerous countries and cities at a young age. My favorites include Iceland, which I just vacationed to this year, Paris and Italy, two of my first international travels, and New York.

While visiting New York City for the first time in 2013, I fell in love with the energy and atmosphere of the city and knew that I wanted to live there one day. I dream of going back on the daily, and have plans to study there for college. Afterwards, I hope to go into the writing side of the fashion industry.

Since a young age, I knew that I loved writing. Being introverted, I often turn to writing when I need to get my thoughts out on paper instead of verbally. To be interning at a local newspaper is exciting yet nerve-wracking to me. I know that I will learn and gain so much knowledge from this internship, and I can’t wait for what’s to come during my time here.

Contact Reporter intern Jaime Cao at jcao@issaquahreporter.com.