With her bluish-green streaked hair, done-up eyes and green and blue colored nail polish, Gabi Looker presents herself as a spunky 13-year-old. Between talking with her friends and browsing Facebook, this Traverse City East Middle School student spends her time writing.
Looker started writing when she was 10, and hopes to continue to pursue writing opportunities.
“I just want to express myself and show the world that I can do it, and that I made it,” said Looker. “That I made it this far and I’m going to keep going.”
Taking first place in the middle school division of a Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) writing contest with her feature story on slow computers, Looker is already starting to make a name for herself in the writing world.
Even so, Looker is more than her writing ability, with a big personality hidden behind her soft voice.
With a somewhat timid demeanor, Looker explains that “the shower is my stage.”
“If you could bring a shower on stage of ‘American Idol,’ I would win,” Looker added with a smile.
At home, she shares a room with her 10-year-old sister, one of two siblings. Her 24-yearold half brother lives in Detroit with his mom.
Despite her light-hearted attitude, there is a darker side to Looker.
“Dealing with my depression and anxiety, and battling with that, is kind of hard for me,” she said.It especially frustrates her, she said, because many people treat teen depression as drama or attention-seeking, instead of a legitimate mental illness.
“My parents normally get on to me about [talking a lot with my friends],” she said, saying her parents think her friends add to the drama.
She plans to pull through it, though, and pursue her dreams of being a writer.
“My personal goal is to keep on going—to keep on keeping on.”
By Jordyn Pair
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