As the sun rises on a chilly and calm morning in February, the first of six exasperating alarms blasts throughout Carly Gist’s dorm room. Although it’s already 8 am, it will take those next five alarms leading up to 9:30 am for her to finally get up to start her day.

“I try to wake up earlier in the morning, around like 9 to 9:30 am, so that I can get my online classes done because my journalism ones are both online in the morning,” Gist said.

Gist is an ambitious freshman, who is fuelled by a deep passion for the art of writing and storytelling. Whether it’s through articles, short stories or even fiction writing. Her editors say Gist has a natural talent for crafting compelling narratives that captivate audiences. Gist is constantly honing her craft and experimenting with new writing techniques to bring her ideas to life.

 “So, when I was younger, growing up, it was kind of my childhood dream to be an author,” Gist said, “but then I wanted to be a physical therapist, so I took a program in my hometown called the Medical Professions Academy,”

She had realized that she didn’t like science. As she and her parents were considering colleges to apply to, Gist expressed uncertainty about what field of study she wanted to pursue.

“I knew that I didn’t want to study science anymore, but I still liked to write, which is something I’d like to do my whole life,” Gist said. 

So, she spoke with an advisor from one of the colleges in her hometown, and then also with her parents, and they suggested looking into journalism because it would be a good way to use that skill.

“I decided that I would try that out. So, I got a job with the Daily Egyptian in the first semester, which showed me that I enjoy journalism. Like, it’s a good way for me to use that skill of writing, but I also get to tell other people’s stories, and I think that’s cool,” Gist said.

She has written many of Daily Egyptian most popular articles this past year and this year such as “Dorm maintenance issues raise concern on campus, bugs not a priority”, “Review: Theatre program delivers eerie, hilarious take on viral hit “Ride the Cyclone” and “Saluki Athletics partners with police to provide coats for youth in Carbondale.” 

“Another one was a story I did for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and that one was just a bit challenging because it was only the second article I’d ever written, and that’s a topic that I’m passionate about because my mom, she works at a domestic violence shelter, so I grew up volunteering for those events,” Gist said, “I wanted to make sure that story got told, but because it was only my second article, I was worried I wasn’t gonna do it justice,” she continued.

Gist’s approach to storytelling is a testament to her dedication to her craft. 

“I think my best way of being a storyteller is making sure that I get my research done before I start to write it, and before I come up with the questions, making sure that I know a lot about the person’s background before I interview them,” Gist said. 

She has class at 10 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Her first class of the day is English, followed by child psychology at 11 a.m. 

“On Fridays, I have an honor seminar, which is Empathy Through the Arts, and that one I think is through the College of Arts and Media, so it’s not necessarily journalism, but it’s like we were learning about like different art forms, right now we’ve been working on self-portraits, so that’s been kind of cool,” Gist said.

She has only one class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m., which is an honor seminar called “The Social History of Rock and Roll”. This class teaches about the history of rhythm and blues and the different genres of rock and roll. 

Gist also is very involved around campus through many clubs and organizations.

“Since I didn’t know if journalism was what I wanted to study, I made sure to join a lot of the clubs that involve journalism to get a feel of it,” Gist said.

“So on Tuesdays, I have the Daily Egyptian meetings, and then Thursdays, I have meetings for AdLab, which is the advertising club that takes place at  3 p.m., and then on Fridays, I have meetings with Grassroots Magazine, and I’m a fiction editor for them,” Gist said.

Her exposure to different life stories has had a profound impact on her own life, she said. Listening to people’s experiences and challenges has allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of the world around her and has helped shape her perspective. By using storytelling as a tool to connect with others and share their stories, Gist believes she has not only become a better writer but also a more empathetic and compassionate person.

“I interviewed Winnifred Hahn, she took her dance company to SIU and they did a residency… and when I was talking to Hahn, I asked her a little bit about how she got into dance and how she found that that was what she wanted to do and she said that growing up, she also thought that she wanted to be a physical therapist and that, she was taking the classes and she wasn’t enjoying it. And she had asked her mom about it, and her mom had told her something like, ‘If you’re not enjoying the process, then you’re not gonna enjoy the outcome.'” Gist said.

“And just like, hearing that, and being able to relate to it was cool. Honestly, I took that as a sign, because I was still kind of holding on to it like, ‘Oh, I used to want to be a physical therapist’… So I just think that was something that I needed to hear,” she said. 

For many writers, the joy of writing lies not just in the act of crafting a story but also in the ability to share it with others. 

Gist said, “Writing has always been my favorite hobby, so it makes me happy to know that people are complimenting it and that they appreciate my work. But honestly, it makes me feel even better just knowing that people are getting their stories out there.”

In the time since she has started her journalism career with the Daily Egyptian, Gist has won two Illinois College Press Association awards in the Critical Review – Other than Film category, for reviews of the School of Theater’s “Ride the Cyclone” and “The Wedding Band.”

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