It wasn’t until I picked up a reporter’s notebook that my passion for words found real purpose. The newsroom fostered creation; I loved sharing content when I first put a pen to paper. The substance of the publication – giving voice to the community to spark debate on meaningful issues – is undeniably powerful.

This portfolio details my progression from a Staff Writer to managing a staff of 63 as the Editor-in-Chief. From my leadership philosophy to my reporting to the lessons I’ve learned along the way, journalism as a means of activism is my throughline.

Beyond high school, I attend Columbia University as a member of the Class of 2027. At Columbia, I am a Senior Staff Writer for University News on the Columbia Daily Spectator.

• Beginning Journalism
• Advanced Journalism
• Journalism: Editors

• Editor-in-Chief (2022-23)
• Lead Culture Editor (2021-22)
• Culture Editor: Online (2020-21)
• Staff Writer (2019-20)

In April, I was recognized as the top high school journalist in the nation by the Journalism Education Association.

At the Fall 2023 JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Massachusetts, I was awarded First Place in Multimedia Journalist of the Year. The NSPA also recognized the following stories:

• "Rebuilding: Syrian refugee girls pursue education" | Third Place in DEI reporting
• "Rebuilding: Syrian refugee girls pursue education" | Fourth Place in Multimedia Feature Story
• "Wage gap epitomizes stagnation in gender equality efforts" | Honorable Mention for Opinion Story of the Year
• "Death of Queen Elizabeth II ripples through community" | Honorable Mention for Multimedia News Story

In addition, The Standard staff received Third Place for Local Climate Change Reporting for "Confronting the climate crisis," a package created during my tenure as Editor-in-Chief.

At the Spring 2023 JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in California, I was awarded First Place in Versatile Journalist of the Year by the PSJA.

In the NSPA Best of Show competition at the Fall 2022 JEA/NSPA National Journalism Convention in Missouri, I was awarded First Place in Editorial Leadership.

In March of 2021, I began working on an investigative, in-depth feature article entitled "Sexual harassment: Shattering the Silence." While many community members acknowledged the presence of sexual harassment in London and across the globe, few were able to acknowledge the elephant in the room: its ubiquity among students and within our own school walls. In my reporting, I aimed to produce an impetus for dialogue – honest, direct conversations that might be uncomfortable but stimulate perspective shifts and spur tangible change. The piece later won Third Place for Multimedia Feature Story in the NSPA 2021 Digital Story of the Year competition and a Certificate of Merit for Newspaper Alternative Story Form in the 2022 CSPA Gold Circle awards.

I have also received Best of SNOs in "Rebuilding: Refugee girls pursue education," "Wage gap epitomizes stagnation in gender equality efforts," "School implements pedagogical, organizational changes adhering to Ofsted requirements," "Death of Queen Elizabeth II ripples through community," "India battles worsening COVID-19 crisis" and "Sexual harassment: Shattering the silence."

NSPA Newspaper Best of Show | Third Place | 2022

NSPA Website Best of Show | Sixth Place | 2022

NSPA Print Pacemaker Award Finalist | 2021, 2022, 2023

NSPA Online Pacemaker Award | 2021

NSPA Print All-American Recipient | 2021, 2022, 2023

CSPA Gold Crown Award | 2020, 2021, 2022 

JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 2022

JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention (Virtual), Fall 2021

JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention (Virtual), Fall 2020

Harvard Crimson Fall Journalism Conference (Virtual), Fall 2020

JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, Washington D.C., 2019

School of The New York Times – Introduction to Investigative Journalism

During the summer of 2022, I learned under professional journalists Mary Pilon and Ellen McCreary Loanes. I worked with my instructors and peers to advance my journalistic skills and practices and partake in real-world journalism. We engaged in city reporting to ultimately investigate what many individuals would take at face value. Following the program, I continue to apply the knowledge I've garnered in my school's newsroom and share it with my peers.

Columbia University Pre-College Summer Immersion Program

During the summer of 2022, I participated in a week-long “Knowledge, Reality and Truth” class at the Columbia University Pre-College Summer Immersion Program. This philosophy course probed the “how” and “why” of our world, examining texts from a range of classical thinkers. We debated Plato’s “Republic” to Descartes’ “Meditations.” As a journalist, my participation in this course bolstered my sense of truth and provided a platform upon which to examine the questions we ask.

This course provided a window into the fundamentals of ancient thought – ideas that are just as relevant now as they were thousands of years ago – and how they tie into modern-day complexity. In my reporting, I ask perpetual questions. This course shifted my perception of that familiar act. I elevated questioning to examine the “why” behind simple answers.