Reporting & Writing
-Arts & Entertainment-
This story was my first attempt at review writing, and it ultimately helped me discover how much I enjoy this type of writing. At first, I wasn’t sure how to approach it, but with the guidance of my co-writer, who has more experience with reviews, I was able to learn and grow in the area. One of my biggest challenges was expressing my opinions about the albums confidently, but over time I learned how to clearly convey my thoughts and use specific examples to support what I meant.
This story covers the MVHS Homecoming Rally, which featured a variety of performances and showcased the school’s spirit and pride. While covering the event, I faced a challenge when my camera ran out of charge, forcing me to improvise. I was ultimately able to borrow a friend’s camera while my co-writer covered the other side of the rally. Despite the setback, the final photos turned out well and were used in both a social media post and a photo gallery.
Read more...
This story was a food review of Nabi Cat Cafe, a new cat cafe that recently opened in Santa Clara. I found it really fun to try the different menu items and share my honest opinions, along with my co-writer, on whether they were worth it or not. Taking photos for the piece was relatively easy, but the bigger challenge was using all my senses to describe the food in detail and effectively convey those experiences to readers.
Read more...
This story was a food review of Joyheart Bubble Tea & Baking, a local Taiwanese grocery that has expanded into a cafe. I found their traditional wheel pies particularly interesting, as I had never tried them or ever heard of them before. It was also fun to see the variety of flavors available. Since this was my second food review, I found it easier to describe my impressions of the foods in words. However, one challenge this time was maintaining consistent lighting for all the photos, as my co-writer and I had to navigate and find a different spot to take all the shots at once.
Read more..
-Opinion-
This story covers the important societal issue of diet culture, which also affects students within my community. Writing this editorial required deep research, as we aimed to redefine what diet culture truly is and find how it perpetuates harmful beliefs about body image and health. My co-writer and I chose to feature a powerful quote and statistic as our graphics to strengthen the impact of our story. One challenge we faced was finding a meaningful solution, which led us to propose incorporating lessons on the relationship between weight, health, and body image into freshman biology classes, or adding more advisory lessons that emphasize the importance of balanced nutrition and the risks of unhealthy habits.
Read more...
This story focuses on climate change and how MVHS students often underestimate the impact of their local efforts. While students are aware of the issue and may empathize, such as feeling concern for environmental crises online, their actions don’t always reflect that concern in their own community. My co-writer and I included strong nut grafs throughout the story, along with practical, small actions that anyone can take to encourage change. One challenge was timing, as drafting the first version required multiple structural changes. Ultimately, however, the effort was worth it.
Read more...
This story covers the rise of situationships and the harm they perpetuate, elaborating on how social media acts as a catalyst and the mental health effects these casual relationships can carry. It was interesting to find statistics and see real impact such relationships have on people, and it was challenging to find a source willing to openly share their own experience. However, my co-writer and I eventually found one, and hearing their story made the issue feel much more real.
Read more...
-News-
This story was my first solo news story, a brief covering the annual Veterans Day ceremony held at Memorial Park. Because it was my first story, I was nervous when I arrived at the event. However, after taking a good number of photos and conducting several interviews, I realized it wasn’t as intimidating as I had expected. I was able to interview the Mayor of Cupertino, my first expert source from an outside agency, which was an accomplishment to me. Hearing the insights of retired veterans was especially meaningful, as it gave me a deeper understanding of the significance of Veterans Day, something I hadn’t fully appreciated before.
Read more...
~Sports~
This story was my first game review, covering Monta Vista's Varsity Boys Soccer match against Lynbrook, and I had to be very observant to catch all the details of what was happening. A challenge my co-writer and I faced was making the writer more detailed, we had edits on that and applied them. We wanted to make sure we included the most important parts of the game, but often had to think back carefully to remember those moments. On the positive side, we were able to eventually fix that issue, and we also gathered extra sources, selected the best quotes and used them to create more in-depth writing, which improved the overall story.