Features:
Features are my favorite stories to write. Humanity's best sides of kindness and joy come alive when our minds are opened and we explore how our own experiences are similar to or different from others'; through pursuing in-depth personal angles that maintain accuracy and honesty, features accomplish just that. The stories you will find in this section are selected for their in-depth coverage, strong writing, and unique insight into community livelihoods.
This was my first-ever interview with a source for a story. Conducted over Zoom due to its time in COVID, I was nervous about ensuring a successful human interest component, in addition to my already-existing pre-first-interview jitters. However, the conversation flowed smoothly and aided in setting a motivated and determined tone for the remainder of my time writing for The Cougar Chronicle. It is interesting to read this story now after almost four years have passed, taking note of the wide variety of journalistic skills I have gained since then and how I would have approached this story differently now. From interviewing more sources to asking more in-depth follow-up questions to providing an actual photo of the source, this story is both a point of pride in writing skill and reflection in my personal journalistic development.
Our school's Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) has historically been competitively successful, placing well in state, regional, and national competitions. After a particularly victorious state conference, I was determined to write a feature that covered not only their overarching success, but what they do as a team to get to that point. In interviews with the adviser and several club members, it became apparent that the strong bonds and chemistry between the club members played a pivotal role in their tenacity and the development of their skill set. Their passion for the club, even if they did not hold a strong passion for business or finance, was sparked by their encouragement of each other. In this piece, I hoped to reflect the club and their members' positive energy and determined spirit through compelling storytelling, further motivating and spurring stronger community connections. As I read this piece today, I would work to provide a more consistent flow and concise writing style to ensure readers' completion of and longevity of interest in the story.
Teenage relationships are often trivialized or not taken seriously due to the young age of those involved in the relationship. I noticed that when this ignorance and negligence towards high schoolers takes place, a lack of emotional awareness and sense of responsibility occurs, causing harm to one or both partners. Additionally, the deep and lasting impact that teenage relationships can inflict on those involved further highlights the importance of ensuring teenagers are healthy and safe in their emotional and physical behaviors. While writing this story, I wanted to provide insight into the reality of unhealthy teenage relationships, as well as a sense of hope for readers who may be struggling in an unhealthy relationship - working to eliminate any barriers to healing and any sense of isolation. Writing this article about a sensitive and important topic, as well as interviewing a source who wished to remain anonymous, allowed for an opportunity to explore and define what it means to be an ethical journalist: fulfilling our responsibility to share community stories in efforts to keep members informed and safe.
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This story was the first story I wrote for our first print issue in over six years: its theme was New Beginnings, both a reference to the revitalization of our physical magazine and our excitement at the prospect of a new school year. To go along with this theme and the relevance of election season, I wrote a piece centered in the importance of civic engagement, and had the honor of interviewing our local League of Women Voters (LOWV) president Robin Muir. Very intelligent, well-spoken, passionate, and eager to engage youth in civic action, Muir's contributions and ideas were responsible for the formation of a well-rounded story. Rather than feeling stuck and unoriginal in my contributions to our community, Muir helped to publish a piece that encouraged political activity and momentum for the shaping of a healthier and better world - a heavy responsibility that all journalists carry.
Walking into the first day of school, I was met with an unfamiliar yet kind face standing with other building administrators at the front doors. Later, I discovered that the new face was that of our school's most recent faculty addition - our new Assistant Principal. Immediately, in efforts to inform and engage with our community and coincide with the "New Beginnings" theme, I pursued writing a feature piece on Mrs. Kiyimba for our print magazine. The interview was delightful and informative, and I wanted to make my piece as engaging and thorough as the interview to reflect Kiyimba's energy and intentions for supporting staff and students.