My journey in journalism
In the Spring of my sophomore year, I made one of the greatest decisions of my high school career: I took an introductory journalism class. After just a few lessons, I was hooked. The thrill of journalistic writing, the satisfaction of crafting a creative lead, and the importance of telling the truth all drew me in. Today, I count “Advanced Journalism” as one of my favourite classes, while student journalism has become an integral part of my high school experience.
Editor
The following school year, I officially joined my high school newspaper, Inklings, as an editor. In this role, I refined my peers' writing and designed creative layouts to present their work.
Additionally, during this period, I started writing my first articles for Inklings. My earliest work covered a broad range of topics, including politics, sports, and international relations. Linked to the image on the right is the first article I ever wrote: a game recap of my high school’s football team.
Click the image to read the first article I ever wrote for Inklings
Managing Editor
When applications for positions in the paper opened, I knew that I wanted to help lead the creation of our newspaper. Specifically, I wanted to be involved in story selection, article editing, as well as steering creative and editorial direction. For these reasons, I applied for the role of managing editor, which I was thrilled to be offered.
As managing editor, I lead one of two staffs responsible for creating Inklings’ award-winning monthly newspaper. My staff is comprised of seven incredibly talented editors, two innovative creative directors, and one dedicated associate managing editor. One of my favorite aspects of this role has been working with — and getting to know — a group of amazing people I likely wouldn’t have met if not for the newspaper.
So far, my staff has produced two issues (both linked on the left). Our September edition generated strong interest across the student body due to its coverage of students’ use of VPNs (virtual private networks) to bypass school internet restrictions.
Click the image to read the piece I wrote for “Student Speaks” on AI in the classroom
Board member
In the spring of my junior year, I had the opportunity to interview — and was ultimately selected for — a seat on the board of directors of “06880,” a nonprofit 501(c)(3) with the mission to create community in Westport, Connecticut, by sharing news, events, perspectives, and history. “06880” publishes a hyperlocal blog focused on Westport and its politics, history, issues, organizations, personalities, arts, sports, businesses, opinions, and trends. 06880 is a mainstay in the Westport community, with an average of 20,000 daily views on its articles.
I am honored to serve on the board with six longtime Westport residents. The opportunity to meet and work with such accomplished members of my community has been truly extraordinary.
The greatest achievement of my time at 06880 so far has been working with its founder — Dan Woog — to create “Student Speaks,” a new feature series on the blog giving students in Westport the opportunity to have their writing published before s lar’s large audience. I wrote one of the earliest entries to “Student Speaks,” an opinion piece on the use of ChatGPT in schools (linked here).