Student Spotlight: Mia Winkler 

This spring, we say goodbye to the Kenmore West Class of 2026 and some of our leaders in the Blue Devil Beat, including Mia Winkler, our current senior editor. After high school, Mia plans to go to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, to study architecture.  Before she leaves, she deserves to be recognized for the great influence she has had on our school and all she has done in her time here. 

Beyond her role as editor of the Blue Devil Beat, Mia made an impact on our school and a variety of clubs and opportunities in our school. As a full International Baccalaureate (IB) student, Mia previously helped the fight to keep the IB program in our school and keep the opportunity for students to be a part of the IB program open. Mia has also been involved in the Community Club at Kenmore West, a club dedicated to giving back through service and planning key events, including the holiday party hosted yearly in December. Another club Mia has been a part of is Link Crew, helping 8th graders this year and 9th graders (who were 8th graders last year) transition into high school and adjust to the vast differences between high school and middle school. Lastly, Mia has been a part of the theater program in Kenmore West, taking on massive roles, including Hermes in this year’s production of Hadestown. Mia involved herself in the community during her time at Kenmore West, and she has become someone that many people know and have heard of, showing the massive influence she has had on our school beyond the school newspaper.

Despite Mia’s busy schedule between rigorous coursework, staying involved by giving back and helping people, and being a part of big projects like the musical, Mia always showed up for the Blue Devil Beat. She consistently attended monthly meetings, often leading them and making sure everything ran smoothly. Each meeting, Mia would begin by congratulating all writers and website personnel on a great edition of last month’s edition, encouraging all writers, and even highlighting some of the specific work done. Mia did a great job at keeping everyone who wrote or helped with the website involved and recognized, keeping people motivated to write each month. Beyond the meetings themselves, in the midst of work on the monthly editions, Mia would be extremely flexible and helpful with articles. If any writer, including myself, had an article that would be late, Mia would often allow us to submit them late and still allow them to be a part of the monthly edition. Additionally, Mia would immediately respond to emails if we had concerns or questions, really helping writers out with their monthly writing. In the end, by running smooth meetings, encouraging writers monthly, and being a flexible and helpful editor, Mia would lead a strong publication each month and make the newspaper appealing to students. As an editor, Mia did so much to make sure the newspaper functioned properly and was the best it could be.  

One piece of advice Mia gives for underclassmen or anybody considering joining the Blue Devil Beat is to “not be afraid to try new things and put yourself out there. The community you will find and the experiences you will create will always be worth it, no matter what. Free yourself from the fear of embarrassment!”  Mia truly did everything to build the best school newspaper possible, as well as encourage and assist writers, keeping a clear focus on educating, inspiring, and entertaining people, the goal of the Blue Devil Beat. She made a great influence on not only our school as a whole, and she will continue to do great things in the future. Thank you, Mia!