About Iris Velardo

It was in the sixth grade when September 11th occurred; Iris Celeste Velardo was only Eleven years old, when she realized that as a passionate writer, she wanted to be a journalist. As a young girl studying at James Monroe Elementary school on the North side of Chicago, Ill, Iris became interested in Journalism because she wanted to know what’s going on in the world around her. Iris was always a talkative person who was well informed on current events and wanted to use her passion for writing to help her community. In the fall of 2003, Iris began her high school career at Kelvyn Park, where during the next four years she received good grades and was recognized through the Honor Roll program at her school, in her senior year of high school, Iris wrote many stories for the school newspaper “Panther Press”, where her love of writing grew even more. She also participated in the school’s yearbook, where she learned how to write an attention grabbing headline, organize a layout, and the basic of photography. Now a sophomore at Columbia College with a major in Magazine journalism and a minor in Creative Writing, She aspires to write for her favorite magazine Seventeen. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Iris wants to continue to pursue her education and obtain a Master’s degree in Creative Writing, when one day she hopes to write a series of children’s and teen books. Iris Celeste Velardo is the oldest daughter of three children and currently lives in the Logan Square Neighborhood. During her free time, she is active in her youth ministry at her local church, and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

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