What motivated you to join the journalism club back in your freshman year?
I was always interested in joining the school newspaper because I loved the idea of expressing myself through a variety of mediums such as editorials and photography. I reached out to Momma J the summer before freshman year to ask about how the newspaper would work, and she redirected me to Ms. Rapp. After that, Ms. Rapp told me about the application process and how the club would be run. The rest is history!
You served as co-editor-in-chief that first year as a club with Priscilla so that was a unique experience. Could you describe what the role was like in essentially leading the set up for the foundation of the club and program?
I was honestly a little nervous at first because we were setting the stage for decades of journalism to come. However, Priscilla and I worked extremely well with each other, and as a result it didn’t really feel like we had to micromanage the rest of the team. We had a really collaborative culture that we curated with the help of Ms. Rapp through lunch and after school meetings, and the bonds we formed through these meetings really allowed us to lead the team well, especially up to our first print edition.
You talked about how journalism was fulfilling to you. Could you expand upon the impact that journalism had on your life either in your other classes, your leadership, or general interactions and point of view.
Definitely. I’ve held other leadership positions throughout high school, but journalism really showed me how important personal relationships are to being an effective leader. Through my time in the Pilot, I’ve come to realize that it’s crucial that the people I work with see me as someone they can trust and interact with outside the publication, so that while we’re collaborating we can easily resolve conflicts because we understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Speaking about those personal relationships, could you talk about the community experience of being in the Pilot. Maybe expand upon the friendships you’ve formed with the other four year members or just other members of the production in general.
It sounds really cheesy to say, but we really are a family. I’ve found some of my best and closest friends through journalism, and we’ve really bonded through our experiences and shared pride for the publication. We’ve also gone to many competitions and even a convention together, and what I’ve learned through those out of school experiences is that it’s really nice having a group of people who I can relate to and discuss anything with.
You’ve been involved in the production from the very beginning. I was wondering if you could maybe talk about not just how the production has changed but how your role within it has changed with various different leadership roles and new people joining and looking for guidance.
In the earlier two years, I really enjoyed traditional print journalism, which is why I served in positions such as EIC and Sports Editor. In the latter two, I found myself drawn to the media arm of journalism, which is what led me to pitching the managing editor position to Ms. Rapp, which I’ve served in since junior year. I think ultimately journalism is a really versatile class and molds itself to fit everyone’s interests.
Could you talk about the relationship that you were able to form with Ms. Rapp and what she’s meant to you as a mentor and teacher?
Ms. Rapp has been an amazing mentor because I’ve had the opportunity to have her as an adviser and a teacher. She’s really contributed to my growth as both a writer and a leader, and her guidance has been extremely valuable. She’s really been a friend to all of us and understands us really well and always strives to make sure the publication is doing its best.
Do you envision yourself continuing to do newspaper after high school either in college or somehow involved in your career?
I think journalism will always be part of my life. I definitely would like to join my college’s newspaper and take my writing skills to the next level. I’m especially excited for that opportunity because colleges are sometimes extremely polarized and protest heavy, and I’d get the chance to cover revolutionary events and acts of advocacy.
What will you miss the most about the Portola Pilot?
I’ll miss our print days the most. Seeing our work come to fruition every month and distributing it to the school was a really rewarding experience because we got the chance to share such a carefully curated publication.
What would you say is your favorite story you’ve written, or maybe most memorable story?
My favorite story is my opinion piece on how kneeling for the national anthem is inappropriate. At the time, kneeling was a major point of controversy and it seemed obvious what the right stance on it was. However, I really pushed myself to play devil’s advocate and challenge the status quo, which resulted in a well researched and nuanced piece on how kneeling was actually hurting the perception and message of the Black Lives Matter movement. It was one of the first times I felt I was truly embracing the meaning of an editorial article, and I’ll always look back to that article as the first step into my love for opinion articles.