STUDENT NEWS COLUMNS
As a Student News columnist for the San Mateo Daily Journal, I wrote columns for the weekend editions on a five-week beat cycle. Exploring topics ranging from drug eduction to celebrating heritages, I hoped to share my reflections and ideas with my community through the power of words on paper. During this internship, I also compiled weekly statements of police reports and managed SMDJ's Instagram account, tailoring content toward our target audience to increase social media and online engagement.
June 17, 2023
Thank you
Wow. It’s still hard to believe this is my last Student News column. Or that, a week ago, I graduated high school alongside one of my best friends of 13 years. Or that, in a couple of months, I will be leaving home and flying out to college to meet new people, to make new memories, to pursue my academic and career goals.
The past four years have flown by. From the excitement of entering high school as a freshman, to distance learning in sophomore year, to a busy third year full of college preparation and pressure, to the final stretch of college applications, there has been so much growth. Yet, some things still never — and hopefully will never — change...
May 13, 2023
Author strives for representation in picture books
As an essential part of most people’s childhood, picture books are not only a fun read for kids but also an impactful teaching tool and can be an author’s reflection of modern society. For local author Charlotte Cheng, it’s an avenue to represent her heritage and share aspects of her culture with others.
The “Night Market Rescue” is Cheng’s first book by trade, inspired by her trips to Taiwan and its famous night markets. Through sensational writing and engaging visuals, Cheng tells the story of a street dog named GoGo, who discovers the Taiwanese night market for the first time. While sampling all the tasty treats, GoGo befriends a lost girl, helping her find her family and possibly also finding a home...
April 8, 2023
A miracle
Unconditional, unselfish love was the unifying emotion behind their inspirational story when I talked to Jojo’s mother about her disabled son. Their experience represented the power of hope and resilience and showed me that miracles do happen. Because for her and everyone who supported them, Jojo was truly a miracle.
Once pronounced “brain dead” by doctors, Jojo has survived several surgeries and diagnoses of cerebral palsy, autism and other related disorders. Before turning 2 years old, he had nine surgeries on his head, eyes and stomach. What pushed him through these struggles was his sweet and friendly personality and love for social interaction as he grew better and stronger by the day.
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“He loves people, but for years, he can only use a simple language to communicate,” his mother said. “He’s just very friendly and treats people very kindly...”
March 4, 2023
Poetry, as a lifestyle
Poetry was never my favorite subject in school. Intimidated by poetry’s many possibilities, I used to shy away from creative writing. But as I opened myself up to new forms of literature and writing, like journalism, I was presented with new perspectives on the world.
That’s the curious thing about writing — it prompts you to think and view things differently. For high school senior Eva Chen, poems allowed her to find a new way of life.
“I used to believe that poetry was rigid, old people’s literature,” Chen said. “I always liked writing, but realizing that poetry could be a very fluid art and seeing how poetry can take shape in different forms was what really got me into it..."
Jan. 28, 2023
Hidden figures
Nine months before Rosa Parks’ protest, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat. Maude Ballou and her family faced constant danger due to her job as Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal secretary. Bayard Rustin, King’s mentor, actively advocated for civil rights and gay causes.
We often quote King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” or hear about how Parks stood up to a white passenger on the bus. But Colvin, Ballou and Rustin are usually not the names we bring up when we discuss America’s civil rights movement that took place in the mid-1900s.
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As February’s Black History Month approaches, I hope we can recognize some of these hidden figures during the annual observance of African American contributions to our country...
Dec. 23, 2022
Who, or what, is legally a person?
I recently realized the variability of our legal system. And that made me question how far there is still to go.
I had read an article about Happy, an Asian elephant who was transported to the United States around 1970 along with six other calves and named after one of Snow White’s seven dwarfs. For 40 years, Happy was kept out of the wild and moved between states to entertain children and those who visited the zoo. This summer, New York’s highest court ruled that Happy is not a legal person and therefore does not have fundamental human rights.
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In a 5-2 decision, the court argued that the United States has never granted habeas corpus — a right that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment — to a nonhuman animal and that doing so would destabilize society. This meant that Happy would continue living at the Bronx Zoo instead of being transferred to a more natural environment...
Nov. 19, 2022
A different approach to ‘don’t do drugs’
“Don’t do drugs,” they always said. But why? While growing up, my drug education experience was scattered. Aside from a few days during two-week Teen Talk sessions — which only took place once in middle school and once in high school — substance use and addiction were scarcely discussed. When we did touch on those topics, the message was simply to stay away from drugs.
When a student at my high school unexpectedly died from fentanyl poisoning last year, the alarming rise in drug overdoses was brought to everyone’s attention. Through talking with his family to put together a feature package about the fentanyl crisis, I realized the severity of the problem: young individuals with bright futures are being killed with just one pill...
Oct. 15, 2022
Rediscovering the other world
“I don’t have time,” I would try to convince myself whenever I realized how long it had been since I picked up a book to read — for fun, not for English class.
I used to carry a book everywhere I went, whether on the car ride home, at lunch, or on a trip during school break. I would devour anything from fantasy to mystery to young adult novels, immersing myself in the magical world of Harry Potter or Agatha Christie’s suspenseful narration.
However, over the years, I slowly lost some of that connection with books. Instead of picking up a new novel to start reading, I chose other pastimes like hanging out with friends or watching TV...
Sep. 10, 2022
It’s time we talk about it
Local teens discovered a potential business opportunity out of a passion for photography amidst boredom during the COVID-19 pandemic. But instead of pocketing the money, they chose to give back to their community.
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The Community Photobooth is a youth-led nonprofit initiative with the mission to combine photography and philanthropy. Charlotte Rosario, the executive director of The Community Photobooth, leads a strong team that includes Director of Videography Ethan Huynh, Co-Director of The Photobooths Madeline Yung and Co-Director of Photography Leo Stoll. By fundraising money through different types of photo shoots — including one that took eight hours — and using their cameras to raise awareness for important issues in their community, they are able to support local issues and people in need...