When Griffin Schmoyer first joined the Spotlight staff in his junior year, he expected an outlet to prep for his future career in sports journalism. But he was pleasantly surprised to find so much more. After two faithful years with the Spotlight, he has grown to love writing versatile, captivating articles.
“When I started out in journalism, my articles were really rough. But after being on the newspaper for two years, I saw a lot of personal growth in my writing,” Griffin said. “I was able to write more, write better, and get more quality interviews. Continuously seeing that improvement helped me early on.”
Some of Griffin’s personal hobbies include listening to music (especially the rock band Rush), video games, anime, and all things sports. Griffin also helps run Pokemon club during spartan period on Day three.
At the Spotlight, Griffin is especially well-known among the staff as a huge fan of CNN 10 host Carl Azuz. Oftentimes, the group watches CNN 10 not only for Carl’s entertaining puns, but also for Griffin’s reactions to them. That enthusiasm would be impossible to replace.
Schmoyer says that one of the biggest lessons learned over his four years at Southern Lehigh was time management and personal responsibility.
“It’s really important to stay on your schedule,” Griffin said. “Over the years, I’ve learned how to write better articles, but staying on time has been most helpful for me not only in journalism, but also in life. It taught me a lot of time management, which is great because we have strict deadlines for articles.”
From reviews of “Super Mario Odyssey” to coverage of both professional and local sports, Griffin is very proud of the articles he has written thus far. In the time that he has written for the Spotlight, he’s created numerous entertainment and sports-centric pieces.
“I’ve always had a huge passion for sports. If I’m not doing something for class, I’m on ESPN or Bleacher,” he said. “I wanted to go into broadcast journalism and become an announcer or commentator. For me, journalism was a good outlet to really work on my writing skills and share my passion for sports.”
Griffin is gearing up to attend Hofstra University for broadcast journalism, with a focus on sports broadcasting. When asked his advice for rising seniors, he stressed the importance of pursuing passion through hard work and relentless dedication.
“Don’t underestimate your own potential,” Griffin said. “I know a lot of kids these days question their own self worth, and I know I definitely had a period of time like that. But you have to follow your passion. Everyone has the potential to be great, but you have to want it enough. If you’re genuinely passionate about something, you should pursue it.”
