Girl sets her sights on reporting career
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on April 21, 2009 1:46 PM
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Six-year-old Leslie Lippold wants to be a "famous reporter" when she grows up. The youngster is already practicing her craft, keeping an eye on what is going on in her neighborhood school.
Six-year-old Leslie Lippold knows exactly what she wants to do when she grows up.
With a notepad and pen in hand and a camera on her wrist, you might be able to guess what her dream occupation is.
"I want to be a famous reporter," she said.
A few months ago, she watched a movie about a girl who wrote reports on a neighborhood thief, and since then, she has been obsessed with being a reporter.
She will drive around the family's neighborhood in her pink Barbie convertible, taking notes on what she observes.
"And she will come and report back to me," her mother, Jacqui, said.
Leslie will tell stories of flowers that neighbors have planted.
Or of a large ant hill that is growing in a neighbor's lawn.
She will even report on "things that happen" in her home.
Like when a repair man came the other day.
"Our washing machine broke," Leslie said.
And she could tell you who came to fix it, what he looked like and even what he did.
As any good reporter would, she knows what five questions to start with.
"What did your dad tell you to ask?" Jacqui asked her daughter.
"Who, where, when, what and how," Leslie replied.
And you'd better bet that she has several more questions lined up for whomever she interviews.
Like the assistant principal at Tommy's Road Elementary School.
Leslie saw that the school had new playground equipment, and she wanted to know all about it.
Her mother suggested that she talk to her teacher about it, but Leslie said she wanted to go straight to the top, to the principal.
The next day, she went to the principal's office, but the principal was busy.
So she talked with the assistant principal instead.
When you ask her what she found out, she will tell you that the Parent Teacher Association raised money for the new equipment, and if she had her notes with her, she could tell you how much the equipment cost, how long it took to install it and so forth.
Leslie isn't without knowledge of the world around her, either.
If you ask her who the president of the United States is, she will quickly tell you that it's Barack Obama.
And her writing is far advanced for her age.
"She is a wonderful writer," Jacqui said.
And her skills don't end at asking questions and taking notes.
She is a photographer, too, ready to take a picture whenever she needs to.
Leslie visited the News-Argus office last week, and she greeted everyone she met with a smile and a handshake.
Then, she asked each person his or her name, had them spell it to make sure it was correct and asked if she could take a picture of them.
So, in the next few years, as you are reading the paper, don't be surprised if you see her name listed atop a story or two.
But her name might not be the same as it is today. After hearing about writers who use a pen name, Leslie placed her finger on her chin and started thinking.
"Can I change my name to whatever I want?" she asked.
"Do you want to have a pen name?" her mother asked her.
"Yes," Leslie said, eyes gleaming. "I do."