The world needs more writers.

More reporters, more photographers, more people to spread the word of happenings at all levels: local, state, nation- and worldwide.

Now is the time to get involved, whether you’re young or not as young. With everything becoming more technology-centered, the tools are in the hands of everyone with a smartphone or internet access.

It’s similarly just as easy to get started on your own and post to a blog or website to work on your craft every day. If practice is what you need, why not jump on causes you find interesting and write your thoughts or explain what’s happening to others who might not be aware.

A whole host of Sealy ISD students will soon have that opportunity at the junior high where a future ready grant was provided to set up a studio on campus. As you might have seen on the front page, I followed the Sealy Education Foundation to all four campuses last Thursday where they awarded grants to teachers for classroom, collaborative and future ready projects.

The largest grant awarded was presented to Symantha Krenek and Brackston Nutt for a student-produced multimedia studio. Sealy Junior High students will have the opportunity to work on their skills and produce an online newspaper, podcasts and video content from the comfort of their own campus.

Of course, I am biased, but that was so encouraging to see not only the teachers were passionate enough to apply for it but they only did so because they knew there was a want from the students to get more involved.

That was how I got my start too. I wrote for my high school’s student newspaper and started working on my craft before I really knew what my path was going to be. Writing – even history essays – always came easier to me than math or science so I figured I’d try my hand and test the waters and now here we are.

Even SEF board member Ryan Reichardt acknowledged this studio could lead a student down an avenue they didn’t even know they wanted to pursue and those limitless possibilities has me nearly as excited as Brackston was when he received the good news.

The print product will forever be journalism’s foundation and it has now sprouted wings into the multimedia dimension. I think the Tiger Eye is a great way to fuel the fire and get students in front of and behind cameras and screens to produce content that will only benefit the community.

If community newspapers go away, many citizens would remain uninformed about tax rate increases, new council and board members, maintenance projects, crime and even more. Writers are needed worldwide to continue producing valuable information for readers and that need will never go away.