On any given Friday evening, Shelly Slocum will not be found at the movies. She will not be perusing a local boutique, or even embarking on a late night study session. It only takes a quick glance through her Instagram feed to see that this 17- year- old Ocean Lakes student would rather spend the evening with her relatives.
She enjoys curling up on the couch to watch a family movie, where she is most likely joined by a combination of her five siblings, parents, or perhaps one of her eight nieces and nephews.
“She’s very energetic,” says Jimmy Slocum, Shelly’s 20-year-old brother, “She’s very happy to be around, but she’s also very funny and spunky.”
Outside of her family, Shelly’s life revolves around her position as commentary editor for Ocean Lakes’ student newspaper “The Current.” She teams up with her best friend, Sam White, who is the editor-in-chief. Sam describes Shelly as “ambitious,” but adds that she is more comfortable writing than talking. While in conversation, Sam usually does the talking, Shelly’s repertoire reveals a proficiency in feature writing, sports commentary, and social commentary, which is presented in The Daily Bagel, an online blog she writes for outside of school with her friends. On her school newspaper, she has been known to write biting commentary on a number of social issues, gaining her both positive and negative notoriety within her class at Ocean Lakes for her article on the lack of chivalry among teenage boys.
“You would probably think she was really outgoing, and really bold, because that’s the kind of person she presents herself as in her writing,” Sam said.
Even her older brother, Jimmy Slocum, whom she lovingly refers to as “J.J.,” says that she was born to write.
“She’s comfortable,” says Slocum, “Right now, I can’t think of any other situation where she is more comfortable.”
Although her writing style can be intense, her brother and best-friend know her as a hilarious, aloof girl.
“When she’s around people she knows, she’s crazy,” Sam says,”-but a good kind of crazy.”
