Roc On: Gussie Roc, Renaissance Woman, 16

By Laura Adibe

She is a published writer, an accomplished musician, the recipient of a Golden Gavel Award from the Princeton Model Congress, and she's only 16 years old.

Gussie Roc is not only quickly establishing herself as a young writer to watch, but she is also a model ambassador of goodwill who devotes her time to important social causes.

BlackVoices.com recently caught up with Roc, who spoke about what motivates her and why other teens should never give up on their dreams.

BlackVoices.com: You have a pretty amazing resume, Gussie. You started your own ezine, The Gussie Gazette, when you were only 8 years old.

Gussie Roc: A lot of it was my mom, because she publishes her own ezine -- just being inspired by her and her dedication to it, as well as the fact that I always liked talking to people and wanted people to listen to me, too.

BV: You were named one of the Best Teen Writers in 2010 by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. If you had to name your top three favorite writers, who would they be?

GR: Harper Lee. I would say E. E. Cummings, and the name that keeps coming back in my head is Truman Capote.

BV: Favorite books?

GR: I really like 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It encapsulates childhood in this really beautiful way, while also being friendly for children. I'm really just inspired by (the author's) technique. I also really love 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,' because it paints a portrait of Brooklyn over time in a really beautiful and poetic way. I love writing poetry, so when I read prose that sounds like poetry and evokes that kind of emotion, that's really enjoyable for me.

BV: You write, publish, play the viola and you participate in humanitarian work. When you're not doing all this, what other things do you like to do for fun?

GR: I really like film and filmmaking -- whether with my friends or for actual projects. The editing process is really fun, just being able to tell stories in a different medium besides writing. Also, I like photography.

BV: The work that you do around AIDS is extremely important. How did you get involved with Ubuntu?

GR: My mom was friends with a woman that works for Ubuntu Education Fund, which is an education fund that supports orphans who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS, and in a lot of cases, these children have HIV/AIDS themselves. This organization builds community centers and educates people about safe sex and HIV/AIDS.

They support these children who are often times really alone in the world. I was really inspired by this cause and just started volunteering at the office. Me and one of my friends started raising money for AIDS Walk at school, and we raised thousands of dollars.

We realized it was successful and so we went back and we did it again. It was just really rewarding. We met one of the kids who was helped by this organization, and toured her through our school. Just the feeling of being able to give back and see your work being successful is quite amazing.

BV: You're 16 years old and have done so much already. What advice do you have for other teens who might feel limited in what they can do because of their age?

GR: A lot of times I am fearful to do certain things -- to make a speech or play a recital or dance or sing or whatever. Even though I can't sing very well (laughs). I really think a big component is getting over fear. Just keep pursuing your goals, even if there is an obstacle and even if you're too afraid to move forward, because that is the only way that you'll accomplish anything, by just pursuing your goals.

BV: Do you have any (s)heroes?

GR: One of my heroes would be Eleanor Roosevelt, who said something along the lines of, do what your heart sets. Your people will criticize you anyway, so just go for what you think is right. That really inspires me every day.

BV: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
GR: Hopefully, writing for a magazine or newspaper. Journalism is a good sum of everything that I like to do.


BV: Anything you haven't tackled yet that you feel you want to tackle?
GR: My ultimate goal is to win an Academy Award for a documentary.


http://www.bvblackspin.com