Writing

Writing kickstarted my passion for journalism. As a journalist, I have an incredible ability – and responsibility – to speak truth to power. Progressing from my days as a timid staff reporter clutching my reporter's notebook to mentoring young reporters in growing their own writing, this tenet of journalism is what initially lit a fire underneath me.

As a student journalist, my voice should act as a catalyst for action. In my reporting, I've targeted underrepresented social justice issues, breaking news, climate change, the trivial facets of school culture, and more. Regardless of the subject matter, each was written with my audience at the forefront, and I've made it a goal to continually uplift the voices of marginalized communities. Below, I've organized a few of my favorite stories by category. Click each headline banner to view an explanation of the story and my writing process: 

In early 2021, when I read a Guardian article divulging that 97% of women in the U.K. have been sexually harassed in public areas, I was outraged. I knew sexual harassment happened — I had experienced it myself — but had no sense of its ubiquity. I went through the five stages of grief, questioning the world we live in and grappling with the frustration of gender inequality before picking up my reporter’s notebook. An in-depth, investigative feature was born. Over several months, I listened to stories of sexual harassment both within and outside of ASL. I conducted follow-up interviews, expanding my source list to include a range of perspectives from varying identities.

Despite pushback from the administration, I pursued the story as broadly as possible. These heartbreaking interviews flipped my perspective on its head. After pressing the “post” button, it quickly rippled through the community, garnering hundreds of views.

The article achieved its intended purpose. One classmate texted me, “I just read your Standard article and I f***ing loved it u did such an amazing job my friends and I have been talking about it forever and I’m in such awe of you!!” I felt real pride in fulfilling my duty as a journalist: telling underrepresented stories. Stepping into that role required asking the right questions and pushing through numerous “no's.” Overhearing friends and faculty debating a topic seldom discussed was invaluable. That is the hallmark of good journalism – spurring conversation that might just nudge the world.

"Sexual harassment: Shattering the Silence" placed third in the 2021 NSPA Digital Story of the Year competition and received a Certificate of Merit for Newspaper Alternative Story Form in the 2022 CSPA Gold Circle awards.

Now, I am coaching two reporters as they write a follow-up to my sexual harassment story. Mentoring younger reporters who will take on heavy, important stories will outsize the impact of any story I write myself.

In a PSJA board announcement, my article was deemed "courageous student journalism." It has been surreal to watch reporters I now mentor take on stories that are unmistakably brave.

In February, I spent a week at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. Every night, I struggled to reconcile my life living in London at a high school full of abundant opportunities with girls – who are just as talented, ambitious and kind – not having access to internet services or dropping out of school to support their family through early marriage. I got to know a few of the girls supported by the CARE program, many of whom pursued their education. During my time there, I interviewed a few of them.

I wrote a piece sharing their experiences – with 10 forms of multimedia alongside it – for both print and online publication. The piece was our center spread "spotlight" in our fourth print issue. By writing this story, I hoped to raise awareness for refugee girls' education and bolster support in my community. 

The print design of the page is below:

During my first month as an editor, the managing team announced we would be creating an online COVID-19 special edition. With another reporter, I tackled teachers' experience with distance learning as part of the larger package. We were the only two freshmen to contribute to the package, and I felt proud knowing I'd put myself out there and embraced my discomfort. Click below to view the COVID-19 package, which received first place for online COVID-19 coverage from the NSPA. When we returned to school in the fall, I felt a perceptible drop in the productivity of myself and my peers, and an article about the pandemic's impact on academics was born. To write this piece, I paired up with a freshman reporter and coached her through the researching, interviewing and reporting process. 

As a first-year editor, the staff worked to create a 2020 Presidential Election Special Edition. Despite feeling massively inexperienced, I decided to write a features piece exploring the Settle for Biden campaign. A big player in the polls, I felt it was a crucial facet of the election to cover and worked for a couple of weeks to research, interview and pull all of the pieces together into a 700-word story. Click the image below to view the package and my article:

This year, I poured my heart and soul into the creation of an in-depth climate change package, enabling the staff to use journalism to confront one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our lifetime. I contributed two pieces to this package: a profile on an alum who founded a company tackling plastic waste and an opinion piece on Earth Day. The day we published the package, our website received 1,644 page views – the second-highest number of page views The Standard has ever received. Click the image below to view the package:

For my last project as EIC, I led the staff in creating a Humans of ASL package, where reporters profiled members of the community. This package took a one-year hiatus, but I revived it because I believe human stories form the core of our mission at The Standard and should be spotlighted for our community. To contribute, I wrote a profile chronicling a teacher's experience with motherhood. Click the image to view the package: