Plant High School is home to high-achieving students who move on to lead successful careers across diverse programs.  

Amelia Knust, 2024 graduate, is no exception.   

From Tampa to New York City, Knust is ‘writing her journey’ to her dreams.  

I had the pleasure of traveling to New York City and walking around the New York University campus with Knust, reflecting on her time here at PHS News, learning about her adventures in NYC and getting a glimpse into her rising journalist career. 
 

Amelia Knust, Meet The PHS News Alumna 

Knust was an academic scholar as well as an involved student of the musical arts.  

Knust was also a member of the all-female a cappella group Pink Panthers, the Plant Chorus, the Anchor Service Club, the National Honor Society and a staffer for PHS News.  

Writing is a strong passion for Knust, as she was constantly publishing articles on PHS News as the opinions editor, and created her own personal blog.  

Knust was awarded the ‘Excellence in Writing Award’ for her contributions to Plant writing during the senior award ceremony.   

Knust was also recognized with the ‘Silver Key Award’ at the Scholastic Art & Writing Competition.  

Knust continues to share her creative abilities at New York University (NYU) as a sophomore studying Media, Culture & Communications and Business of Entertainment, with a minor in Media & Technology.   

During her time at NYU, Knust has become an Arts Staff Writer and Music Editor for Washington Square News, attending and covering music festivals, concerts and exclusive Q&As as press.   

Knust’s experience stretches beyond school, serving as a Contributing Writer for ‘The Knockturnal’, a news site covering arts and lifestyle events in NYC.  

This year, Knust has also earned a highly competitive spot as a General Management Intern at the Foundations Arts Management in Brooklyn, New York. Knust works with a catalogue of famous artists, including Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan and Laufey.  

From Plant’s Newsroom to New York  

Madden –  

How did writing for your high school paper prepare you for writing at NYU/Washington Square News?  

Amelia –  

Even though I only started writing for PHS News as a junior, it gave me the room to regularly practice writing in a journalistic style. I had never really written a full album or film review before, and looking back at my early work there, you can tell. I can definitely say I’ve improved a lot since I’ve graduated, but I’m grateful that Plant’s newspaper gave me the space to be so flexible and write for them without ever actually being in the class. I actually still look back at what I used to write for Plant, and I’m proud to say I’ve predicted some trends. I put Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” as my #2 record of 2023 months before anyone knew who she was. Same with Sabrina Carpenter in 2022. Even though all of those articles have millions of typos and grammatical errors in them, it’s nice to see work like that preserved in time.  

Madden –  

What’s the biggest difference between writing stories in high school and writing stories now professionally?  

Amelia –  

The biggest difference between writing in high school and writing in college is the level of opportunity you’re granted once you’re in college. I’m especially lucky to be a writer at NYU because we get access to things that no other college outside of the city gets. I’ve gone to movie premieres, music festivals and so much more for free through Washington Square News. I’ve gotten to interview some of my favorite artists and meet my favorite celebrities. Even looking at just the past month, I’ve gotten to speak with Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi and Megan Moroney. I don’t think my high school self would ever believe that. That’s not to say that all this will come as soon as you start writing for your college newspaper. It’s a gradual process, and you have to work very hard for it.  

Madden –  

What advice would you give students who want to write for their college newspaper?  

Amelia –  

To any student who knows they want to write in college, write as much as you possibly can now. Exercise your skills, go outside of your comfort zone and build a gradually increasing portfolio of all that you’re capable of. Also, if you already know where you’re going to college and know you want to write for their newspaper, start regularly reading it now. You’ll become more familiar with their editorial style and can start to emulate some of what you see in the work you do in high school. I knew even before I got into NYU that I wanted to write for Washington Square News’ Arts section, and that familiarity leading up to my first few articles helped me to get a better sense of what I was getting myself into.  

Madden –  

What would you tell your high-school-senior self right now? Any advice for juniors/seniors graduating from Plant soon?  

Amelia –  

To my high school self, I would say to not be afraid of letting other people read or edit your work. Even throughout my first year of college, I was always terrified of receiving edits and critiques on anything I wrote, journalistic or not. It’s definitely a valid insecurity — I still feel that way sometimes today. But it’s also so important to hear from a wide range of voices instead of just shutting yourself off to hear what people think about your writing. And it’s all the more rewarding when you get those praises from your favorite professor or editor. It sounds cliche, but you really do have to go out of your way to learn and be uncomfortable in order to grow.  

Madden –  

What’s one very “New York City” moment you’ve had since starting college? (Fun interview/opportunity, etc)  

Amelia –  

Last semester, I got to do one of the truly most amazing and insane things of my life, which was going to the New York premiere of “Wicked: For Good.” It was a long process of securing my position and reservation through Washington Square News, but I got to be a part of the fan area, where I met the entire cast and a handful of other celebrities, including people like Jimmy Fallon and Leslie Odom Jr. This was especially full circle for me because Ariana Grande was one of the reasons I got into pop culture back when I was in middle school, so getting to meet her felt like something out of my wildest dreams (I even wrote about her a bit for PHS news!) Also, I got to watch the film a week early with the whole cast and crew in the same room, which was nothing short of surreal. I probably will never shut up about that night for the rest of my life.  

Knust continues to write her story and inspire all aspiring journalists. 

Click here to read some of Knust’s work 

Knust’s PHS News portfolio: