Dan Manning

Wherever Elle goes, whether at school, an internship, or a walk in the park, she stands out.

Elle Manning grew up in a household where electronics were strictly limited, and most of her clothes were chosen for her until late in elementary school.

No, she is not a Latter-day Saint—nor was she homeschooled. Rather, her family had their own way of doing things, which meant Elle spent much more time with her nose in a book than an iPad.

“My favorite book [series] when I was a kid was Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” Elle said. “I think those are so funny. I still think those are so funny. I also really enjoyed Owl Diaries and Dork Diaries.”

If you’re sensing a theme here, that’s because there is one: diaries. After reading these books cover to cover, she even began writing her own fictional diary entries. This included a ten-“chapter” biography of Ariana Grande.

That practice soon waned, revealing a different passion in daily journalism. Though Elle was less than consistent at first, she later developed the work ethic that allowed her to maintain this habit every single day.

“I have journaled every day for the past six years,” Elle said. “It started in COVID [with] bullet journaling occasionally, but more just writing things down so I don’t forget. Looking back, I can be like, ‘Wow, I never would remember this random thing that happened in math class three years ago if I hadn’t written it down, but that was so funny.’”

Beyond this daily journalism, Elle didn’t have a lot of creative writing outlets. In her sophomore year of high school, she joined FHC’s newspaper, The Central Trend (TCT), as a Junior Writer. She hasn’t spent more than a semester away since.

“I always considered myself a writer, but I never really took that to the next level,” Elle said. “Journaling had always been a big thing for me, and it’s still something that I really enjoy doing. And I guess joining the newspaper kind of just felt like the next natural progression, in the steps of loving writing.”

Since her sophomore year, Elle has climbed the TCT ranks and entered her senior year as one of the Editors-in-Chief. 

“I stayed because it never really felt like homework,” Elle said. “I always looked forward to writing stuff for TCT, and formulating the stories—even if they were difficult to write at times, like my first few features and profiles… I guess it was like one of my first experiences where I really enjoyed what I was doing with academics and at school.”

Although she isn’t planning to pursue journalism further academically, Elle still hopes to make time to participate in it as an extracurricular activity. She also hopes to keep practicing the core values of journalism in her future career.

“I’m thinking about law school, even if [that doesn’t lead to] becoming a lawyer, just because I feel like that keeps the core aspects of journalism,” Elle said, “like being ethical, getting to talk with real people, getting to hear real stories…, bringing a sense of justice or truth into the world… and definitely arguing. That’s a big part of why I love journalism: I get to argue.” 

Evidently, Elle’s time in TCT didn’t just teach her journalism skills, but ethics, justice, how to genuinely invest in her community and seize opportunities, and, of course, organization skills.

A large part of her organizational capacity also came from her mother, who, like Elle, prefers to arrange her affairs very neatly and in an orderly manner. This translated into Elle’s childhood clothing, namely, Gymboree—an adorably wholesome, well-matched brand. 

“It’s not that I actively disliked her choosing my clothing, but I was not a child who just wore tutus and mismatched clothing and stuff like that,” Elle said. “So I feel like it all just kind of came out when I started choosing my own clothes, which is why I feel like I’m more creative with my clothing now.”

Although her personal style has definitely had its ups and downs, whether that be the devastating 2020 indie phase or an uninspired Rory Gilmore/Bella Swan number, Elle has since settled into a bright, 2010s-inspired brand. Nowadays, one can find Elle walking around FHC in colorful tights, an eyelet headband, or even her famous foot-long, furry, candy-corn leg warmers. Very rarely will one find her wearing sweatpants or a generally “lazy outfit,” as she finds it negatively affects her mindset (even though an Elle Manning lazy outfit would still put everyone else to shame).

“I just feel sluggish and gross [if I’m not wearing a put-together outfit],” Elle said, “I kind of have to dress the part, literally. If I’m wearing a nice skirt and a blazer, and I look professional, then I’m going to act professional. And if I feel like I look put together, then I’m going to act put together… For example, I interviewed an administrator the other day, and he told me that I looked like a journalist because I was wearing something that I had consciously thought of [as resembling a journalist] beforehand. So I feel like [the way you dress] just affects how people see you, which can be beneficial in some ways.”

Part of the reason Elle looks poorly on her Rory Gilmore/Bella Swan era of fashion is because of the “sad girl” vibe those clothes emitted.

“I decide now I just don’t want to be bringing that kind of style into my life, because I feel like it translates into how I feel as well,” Elle said. “So now I’m kind of going in the opposite direction. You know, you have to dress fun, because then it makes life more fun.”

Elle finds most of her clothing at thrift stores, a habit she picked up from garage-sale hopping and eBay hunting with her furniture-flipping father. In the same way her father found value in used furniture, in the same way she creates a headline out of otherwise unheard of stories, Elle finds the worth in discarded clothes she finds at Goodwill.

“[Thrifting] has been a big part of my fashion journey,” Elle said. “Going to places where I can be creative—and it’s not costing me that much money—has always been something that I very much enjoyed. It’s the treasure hunt of it all.”