By Sophie Sprinkel
Junior Ella McNamee, photo editor for The Yorktown Sentry, knows exactly what she wants. She is a determined, driven person who gives 100 percent in everything she does.
“I’m never fulfilled with what I’ve accomplished, but I think that will be good when I grow up, because it will help me be successful,” McNamee said.
This definitely shows, as she has already started her own photography business at the age of 16. This is just a start for her, and she plans to be a wedding and family photographer as an adult.
McNamee says that her dad and her grandfather, who are/were also both photographers, have taught her much of what she knows today. They are both influential people in her life, and she even calls her dad her biggest role model. She describes him as an amazing, hard-working photographer, and hopes to follow in his steps. Although family is important to her, her friends are also a big part of her life.
“When I’m with my friends, I get in such a good mood. I can destress and not think about school or anything,” McNamee said.
McNamee is also a very particular person; she even has a list of pet peeves on her phone. Some of these include leaving the door open after leaving her room, or when people step on her heel. She also keeps her room clean almost all the time, and makes her bed as soon as she gets up.
“It bothers me if my room is super messy, and I can’t focus. Especially with doing school and homework here, I like to keep it clean,” McNamee said.
Being organized and productive is obviously important to her, and this is a big part of the reason she has accomplished so much.
As well as being a photographer, an amazing student and a great friend, McNamee is also into dancing.
“I’ve always really liked dance because I like being creative,” McNamee said.
Although she is taking a break this year, she did competitive dance, and was on our school’s dance team her freshman year. This is one of the ways she expresses herself, as well as how she dresses.
Her favorite clothing brand is Princess Polly, and she wants to go to Paris for the clothes and designers there. She always wears jewelry, and doesn’t feel like her outfit is complete without it.
McNamee is a friendly, genuine person and her determination and drive were truly inspiring. I cannot wait to work with her on The Sentry this year.
By Ella McNamee
Junior Sophie Sprinkel is excited to enter her first year on The Sentry as a photographer. Sprinkel’s determined and organized personality is bound to set her up for success this year on staff. This new photographer is looking forward to exploring photography more, as well as improving her skills. She joined The Sentry because a few of her friends told her that she would be a great addition to the class.
“I started photography about two years ago, when I realized how much I liked it. I was looking for classes that I could take that involved photography and found The Sentry. My friends Yasmina, Lizzie and Ryan are also in the class and told me how much fun the class is,” Sprinkel said.
In addition to photography, in Sprinkel’s free time, she thoroughly enjoys running.
“In my free time I love to run around Arlington and by the canal in Georgetown. I get tired of the same routes, so I like to try new ones. I do not currently do any clubs at Yorktown, but I would like to join one. I have also played piano for 12 years now, and I love to hangout with my friends,” Sprinkel said.
When I asked Sprinkel if she would rather lose her arms or her legs, her love for running made it an easy decision.
“Definitely my arms because I feel like I want to be able to be able to stay active. I run cross-country and track, which would be extremely hard to do without my legs,” Sprinkel said.
Sprinkel has found that quarantine helped her improve her running skills immensely. When Sprinkel was asked if quarantine has had a more positive or negative impact on her, she did not even need to think about her answer.
“Quarantine has definitely had a positive effect on me. I had so much time, and was still able to travel and go to camp. With all the time I had, I was able to meet all of my running goals. I learned how to spend time alone, because during the regular school year I am always surrounded by people, even on the weekends,” Sprinkel said.
Along with Sprinkel’s love for running, she is fascinated with traveling. This is most likely due to the fact that Sprinkel has lived in a great variety of states.
“[I enjoy traveling] probably because I’ve lived in Tennessee, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina. I moved to Arlington in the middle of sixth grade,” Sprinkel said.
Sprinkel has traveled all over the world, and hopes to continue to do so.
“If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Africa and Asia. Those are two continents that I have not gone [to] yet, and they are definitely on my bucket list. I really enjoy traveling. I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru; I have gone skiing in Europe and have also visited Germany and France. I was planning on going hiking for two weeks in Scotland over the summer, for my birthday present, but it ended up getting cancelled because of COVID,” Sprinkel said.
Although Sprinkel has a definite answer for where she dreams of traveling in her future, there are some aspects of her life that she has not quite figured out yet. When asked where she would hope to be in five years, she was undecided.
“I honestly have know idea where I want to be in five years. I kind of want to go to college somewhere in California, or the University of Florida. My dad went to the University of Florida, and I love Florida so much,” Sprinkel said.
Since Sprinkel told me she was unsure about how she wants her future to play out, it did not come as a surprise when she told said that she would rather travel to the future than the past.
“I would rather go to the future than the past, because I would want to see where I will be at in life, because I have no idea,” Sprinkel said.
One of Sprinkel’s favorite shows is Gilmore Girls. She feels a special connection between her and the main character, Rory.
“The TV character that I most relate to is Rory from Gilmore Girls. I’m obsessed with Gilmore Girls. Rory is very organized, hardworking and creative like me,” Sprinkel said.
Being organized, hardworking and creative are three amazing qualities to have as a photographer for The Sentry. I’m thrilled to be working with not only such an amazing photographer, but such a friendly person like Sprinkel this year. Everyone on staff is looking forward to see what she will accomplish during her first year on staff. The Sentry is lucky to have her.
