Six Questions with Casey Reeves

By K. Woodzick, Editor

We are thrilled to welcome the newest member of the Northwoods News Team!

Born and raised in Kenosha, Casey Reeves is the latest (and youngest) member of the Northwoods News team. Currently a junior at North Park University, they are a dual-degree student in Media Studies and Marketing. Always having a love for writing, Reeves started their journalistic career in high school. There, they took on several editor positions in their high school’s newspaper, including copy editor, webmaster and digital specialist. Casey continues to write and enjoys doing on-scene work as a reporter and writing cultural interest pieces to bring people joy. Reeves also holds a state award from the WNA (Wisconsin Newspaper Association) in General Reporting. It is their hope to bring stories to the local community and to grow as a reporter and journalist.

You’re originally from Kenosha, and you have family in the Northwoods, correct?  What are some of your favorite Wisconsin memories?

Yeah! I’m from Kenosha and lived there all the way up until college. My family all lived in or near Kenosha until the last seven years, when my aunt moved up north and eventually my grandparents on my mom’s side followed. I’ve been able to visit them a few times and it is always wonderful to be back up north. My favorite memories though are of the summer vacations my family would take up north. Having a family of seven means you can’t really do that many extravagant things because it gets expensive quick. So I carry a lot of memories from spending time in a cabin up north during my childhood; Including the time I caught my first fish!

Tell us about your college and major. What inspired you to choose this path?

North Park University is a private Christian school located in Chicago, IL. They reached out to me during my senior year of high school offering to waive application fees if I applied. I had never heard of them before, but I was surprised to be contacted by a private school. They also had the majors I wanted, Marketing and Media Studies. I always knew I wanted to work in Media, but most schools offered medium specific majors which I didn’t want because I wasn’t sure which route I wanted to go. This major allows me to study about all popular forms of media and I can choose different production classes to help solidify my decision on a medium. I was inspired by my Journalism teacher and Newspaper Advisor from high school, Jane Rider. She always encouraged my love for writing and getting to work with her made me realize I did want to continue this path. She has inspired me so much to keep going to school and to create, and I am so appreciative.

What makes you passionate about storytelling?

I’ve always felt I had a talent at communicating with writing and words and I always wanted to share that talent by contributing to something good. This internship is amazing because I get to write about a strong community in the state I was born in, and I love that I have been given the opportunity to share the magic of northern Wisconsin with others. Overall, I just want to use my storytelling talents to help uplift others and bring light to areas that need extra help and support.

We heard you recently met the Hodag. Were you starstruck?

Yes! I recently visited the Hodag. I met him originally when I was eight or nine and instantly fell in love with him. He’s such a goofy-looking monster to me, I love his fangs and smile on his statue. I visited him recently because my boyfriend hadn’t heard of the Hodag before, so it was obvious we had to stop by since we would be up north anyways!

Here’s a photo of us with the statue 🙂

Who are your favorite writers?

I don’t have a favorite journalist in particular, but I like to read the Washington Post and the New York Times. I do have some favorite writers though, that have helped me find a love for writing even if it’s a different style. Jonny Sun is a major inspiration to me because of his graphic novel “everyone’s an aliebn when ur a aliebn too.” It’s a really great book that has short writings accompanied by his alien character.

What else should we know about you?

Ummmm, this is a bit difficult to answer. There’s so much I could share! I think the main thing I want to share is that I am so grateful to have this opportunity. As someone with disabilities, it can be hard to find a good working situation, and this opportunity is allowing me to follow my dreams in a way that doesn’t endanger my health.