By Moriah Pettway
Baldwin High School
Miles Reese’s creativity and passion for playing the saxophone and painting also influences his writing.
The rising senior at Copiague High School was born in Mineola and raised in Copiague with his younger sister Natalie Reese, his mom Ann Reese and dad Garry Reese. “What I like about Miles is how kind-hearted he is,” his mom said. “What I love about Miles is how humorous he is,” his sister added.
Miles has been playing the saxophone for about nine years and painting for two to three. He is also active in extracurricular activities, including Mock Trial, Marching Band, and Track and Field.
But Miles’ major interest is journalism. He has been writing since middle school. “In seventh grade, I had a teacher named Ms. Ingenito and she saw the hidden potential in me. She noticed my public speaking skills and she wanted to see more of that in my writing, so she put me in Achieve3000 for students who were exceptional in writing, and it really shaped me as a writer.”
The COVID-19 pandemic played a major role in developing Miles’ writing skills, “I had a lot of alone time and found out who I truly am…. That’s where my love for analyzing politics and journalism came from.”
As a young black man aspiring to be a journalist, the murdering of George Floyd was a pivotal point in Miles’ life, “I remember in the summer they shut the roads down and I heard Black Lives Matter and I was like ‘I’m living through history.’”
Watching correspondents such as Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon inspired Miles to further pursue his interest in journalism. “There’s a segment on CNN called Prime Time with Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon and the way they connect to the audience is so natural and it proves that they don’t just do their show because they have to. They do their show because they enjoy it.”
He feels that he has a lot to offer to the field of journalism. “I want to be that person that bridges the gap between everyday people and their understanding of politics.”
Once Miles concluded that journalism was something that he was truly passionate about, he began taking the initiative to find programs where he could strengthen his skills. So Miles is very enthusiastic about spending a week at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists. Through the program, “I’m hoping to find even more confidence in public speaking.”