MagAAFSzine November 2017, Issue 4 | Page 37

A bit about cj:

When asked about why she is interested in interviewing members of the police department, CJ said:

"I like mystery, and ever since I was very little, I’ve watched shows about murders, missing people and investigations.

The science behind these shows is interesting and I find it interesting how one human can do the most terrible things to another human.

I find if you’re gonna be a journalist you have to be a bit of a detective yourself.

There was this little girl [who] was always on the news when I was younger.

Her mother had killed her and that got me thinking about the world and how terrible it can be.

It makes me feel like these things need to be noticed.

After we notice them, people can do things about them, like if a neighbor sees a child being abused, then the neighbor can tell a local police officer or anyone that might be able to help like a social worker.

I feel like if people notice stuff, more things can be done and kids can be safe[r].

I think if I can write the stories of these people, [others] might start realizing about these children and women who have been hurt.”

CJ Bertsch is 12 years old.

She was born in 2004.

Her interests are the "odd things of the world" (like odd medical conditions), blues music, biblical studies, science and mathematics, mythical creatures, and black cats.

She feels like her cats are characters from the TV show Riverdale.

CJ just started reading, and she loves Doll Baby by Laura Lane Macneil, the Nancy Drew books, the Tom and Liz Austen Mystery Series by Eric Wilson, To Stand on My Own: The Polio Epidemic Diary of Noreen Robertson by Barabara Haworth-Attard, and The Giver by Lois Lowry.

She plans on starting The End of the Witch by Stephen King soon.

CJ is always writing stories in her head about mystery and magic.

She is an avid skier and the first TV shows she liked were Law & Order and Criminal Minds.