Via Sparks is an observant, laid-back journalism rookie. Like many teenagers, her interests tend to lean more towards music, fun, and bad choices rather than academics, leading her to believe that she’s more street-smart than book-smart. This didn’t stop her from joining The Peak staff this year, though. Sparks enjoys the truthful aspect of journalism. She likes how journalism can provide important factual information about the world around us. I asked her who she looks up to, and she told me she admires David Bowie for his sense of himself and how he used self-expression to send messages through his art. When I asked a similar question of who she aspires to be, she replied with: “Would it be silly if I said I wanted to be a mushroom? I don’t really look up to people that way. I don't want to be them” Sparks shows a solidified sense of herself. Instead of wanting to be somebody she’s not, she’d rather be a simple mushroom that doesn’t have an identity the way humans do.