It is no secret that Portage High School produces great students but this week’s A Portage Life in the Spotlight is one that only comes around every now and again. This week’s A Portage Life in the Spotlight is PHS Junior Brandon Vickrey.
Brandon is a junior at Portage High School and is one of the most active members of the student body. Brandon’s parents Pam and Larry Vickrey are graduates of Portage High School and they have been lifelong Portage residents.
“I come from a fantastic family. My mom Pam and dad Larry have helped me become the person that I am today,” Vickrey said.
Brandon is the co-founder of Pow Wow Radio, the school’s internet radio station which started back in 2009. Brandon hosts Indians Sports Corner and is the sports anchor for PWR This Morning. Brandon is also the lead play-by-play commentator on WPWR’s coverage of sporting events. He is also the co-founder of the Indians News Network, INN-TV, the school’s in house television station. Brandon is the sports anchor for the stations morning news broadcast. He serves as the Sports Editor of the Pow Wow, the student newspaper and as the Editor-in-Chief and founder of Indians Sports Corner Magazine, the school’s seasonal sports magazine. If you have not figured it out by now, Brandon is very interested in journalism.
“Journalism started out for me as a way to be involved in sports and a way to see sports from a different angle. However, I have grown to love all facets of journalism. I love covering any type of story or doing any type of broadcast,” Vickrey added “There is something about storytelling and broadcasting the news that is special to me.”
Just when you thought journalism was enough, Vickrey is also the PA announcer for Boys and Girls Soccer, JV and Freshman Football, Wrestling, Varsity Baseball and Softball. He is the message board and scoreboard operator for Girls and 
Boys Basketball, Varsity Football and Varsity Volleyball. Brandon also manages to work as an intern for Lakeshore Radio 89.1 FM, running the switchboard and he provides football updates for Lakeshore Gamenight during football season. Finally, Brandon hosts on Mid America Broadcasting as a commentator during basketball season and is looking to return for baseball season as well.
Brandon also works at Ideas in Motion Media, PortageLife.com's parent company. Brandon covers many events and is one of the founder of the A Portage Life in the Spotlight series.
"Working for PortageLife.com, ValpoLife.com and Ideas in Motion Media has been an absolutely amazing experience. It has been a perfect fit for me to have a place where I can have a job doing something that I love doing, while also getting hands on experience that will benefit me in the long run," Vickrey said.
Vickrey is an avid follower of the Chicago Cubs and the Green Bay Packers. The Cubbies have a very special place in Brandon who says he tries to listen to as many games as he possibly can throughout the
season.
“Following the Cubs has a very special place in my heart. I will have very fond memories of growing up listening to the games on the radio with Pat Hughes and Ron Santo, who passed away in December of 2010,” Vickrey said “I still listen a lot during the summer months when my schedule calms down and as much as a can during the spring.”
Brandon is looking to stay home for college and plans to Valparaiso University to study print journalism, broadcast journalism and digital media.
“My goal is to be able to spend my life doing something that I love every day,” he added.
Brandon is not looking forward to leaving Portage High School where he is a member of the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society.
“I truly believe that PHS is the greatest school in the world. It has opened so many doors for me because of the many opportunities that are offered there. PHS has something for everyone. We also have a great student body full of very different groups of people, all of which are for the most part accepting of one another,” he said.
When asked about what is going to be like to graduate Vickrey could only say that he does not want to think about graduating.
“Right now I am trying not to think about graduating. I am going to soak up the rest of the time that I have left at PHS,” he said.
For all he does in his school community and his tireless efforts in both the fields of journalism and sports, Brandon Vickrey is unequivocally a Portage Life in the Spotlight!
Do you know of someone who is a Portage Life in the Spotlight? Let us know at share@portagelife.com!