Hi, My name is Ashley Smiley and I am the Editor in Chief of the Paw Print this year, and also a senior at Plainfield South.

I have grown up in Plainfield my whole life, and I love my community here and at school. Uplifting the community is most important to me, and that is my main goal for the paper.

Some things I do at school include NHS, Student Council, and PSLC. I love spending time with my friends at school events, such as football games and homecoming. 

Some other things about me include that I love video games, specifically the Sims 4 and Animal Crossing. Most of my time is spent either at my work, Panera, or hanging out with my girlfriend, Brenna.

I grew a passion for writing at a young age, and participated in my middle school’s Creative Writers club where we published short stories all 3 years. Although I love creating stories, coming into high school I wanted to expand my writing skills. I joined the Paw Print club in sophomore year, and fell in love with sharing stories that other people wanted to hear. I took Journalism 1 as a junior, and now I have the true honor to be Editor in Chief. 

I also have a passion for animals, as I have 3 dogs myself. My favorite animal is sharks, and I hope to write for the National Geographic one day to fulfill both my dreams of being a marine biologist and a journalist. 

I have been in the Paw Print since sophomore year now, and it is a true honor to help lead this paper with the rest of my team. Journalism is my true passion and I love sharing that with other people. I cannot wait to leave an impact on my school, and get more people involved in the paper. 

Here is a story written by Isabelle Davis, Graphics Editor, about Ashley:

Plainfield South senior, PSLC member, NHS historian, and Editor in Chief- Ashley Smiley is more than all her extracurriculars; she is also a loving daughter, skilled writer and energized Glee fan. 

Smiley began her writing career at Aux Sable’s middle creative writing club and mostly wrote creative writing pieces because she  felt like she could only do fictional story biased “writing because my life isn’t that interesting,”  Smiley said.

When the future Editor in Chief joined The Paw Print, she discovered a new way of writing. At first Smiley did not know how to write, but soon she was able to make the words run with the wind.

“I’ve gotten to share things that I would [have] never had an outlet for if I wasn’t part of the paper,” Smiley said.

If you ask about the hit teen television series, Glee, Smiley is practically all knowing. Smiley was introduced to the teen drama by her girlfriend as another show for them to watch together, Smiley has loved the controversial show since. 

 “It all starts with the fact that Santana [got] mad at Quinn,”  Smiley said while trying to pinpoint what she finds so intriguing about Glee. Smiley admitted to constantly thinking about the specific Glee scenes throughout her day to day life and is able to go on a minute’s rant in an instant. 

This October Smiley turned 18 years old and decided to celebrate by getting a tattoo with her mother. The tattoo was of Snoopy from Charlie Brown surrounded by hearts, symbolizing the love Charlie Brown Smiley and  her late father shared. 

“My dad and I used to watch a lot of Snoopy when I was younger. I really wanted to get something to commemorate that,” Smiley said.

Friend and fellow editor of The Paw Print, Alyssa Carino, would attend the same Girl Scout camp as Smiley. From sharing a cabin together to 12 years of friendship, Carino has collected lots of fond memories of The Paw Print’s Editor in Chief. 

“I’ve known [Smiley] for a really  long time. The [ happiest moment] is probably just sitting next to [Smiley] here in the [journalism lab]; it is really fun. I feel like we have the same kind of humor. We find everything funny and usually it’s a silent room with us laughing,” Carino said. 

Smiley may have a long academic career but a person who celebrates the time she had with her father, who binges shows with her  girlfriend, and  takes on challenges that come her way. Smiley is a scholar as well as a good, fun person.