Rose Marie Crawford: Reporter

Founding an educational nonprofit club for elementary students, reporting for the Cardinal Times, and proving herself to be incredibly hard-working, Rosie Crawford is a senior who serves as a role model to her peers.

Though she joined the Cardinal Times in her senior year, Crawford doesn’t hesitate to emphasize how it has positively impacted her overall high school experience, from meeting new people to developing the essential communication skills needed for journalism.

“I’ve always been into creative writing, and journalism [was] something I never tried before, but I knew that it would allow me to meet people, write stories about them and hear their story,” Crawford says.

Since joining the staff, Crawford had a learning curve, learning to write in a style she was initially unaccustomed to. Despite struggling in the beginning, she says she eventually caught on.

“Writing has always been one of my strengths,” Crawford says, “so [I changed] the way I wrote from… doing creative writing and writing stories [to] writing in journalism which is definitely a lot more straightforward, clear and straight to the point.”

Crawford was praised by staff members about the strength of her writing and how quickly she adapted to news writing techniques.

“[Rosie] is truly herself no matter where she goes or what she does…which is a very noble thing,” said Sydney Laxson, a Cardinal Times staff member and a close friend of Crawford’s. “Rosie thrives off of personal connections and relationships, which I feel is something that is sometimes lost to a lot of people in this day and age. She wants to form bridges and make bonds with others and learn from their experiences, which can be translated into her writing and the questions she asks. She is… not afraid to be who she is and say what she needs to say. And that’s why I love her.”

Outside of the Cardinal Times, Crawford started an organization called OWL (Outstanding Writers without Limits) in 2018.

“[OWL is] a creative writing non-profit, partnered with local elementary schools. High schoolers teach creative writing after school in those locations to elementary students, and the goal is to use creative writing as a tool for teach- ing four complex ideas of personal development to the students,” says Crawford.

Writing isn’t her only passion, however. Crawford is also interested in scientific studies and took IB Physics for two years.

“I really like [science] because it allows us the understand the fundamental aspects and nature of the world around us,” she says.

As an active member of the Portland community, Crawford has volunteered at the Oregon Zoo and OMSI. As a ‘Zoo Teen,’ she talks to zoo visitors about issues relating to animal welfare, such as climate change. At OMSI, she gives presentations and performs science experiments for museum guests. Although she will be studying engineering at Willamette University next year, she hopes to pursue her journalism as a hobby in college.