Diversity

This is a piece I continue to hold close to my heart. I felt it necessary to publish something to acknowledge that a year had passed since the tragedy, and inform readers about what had and had not changed since. I worked very hard on the collage above, trying to convey both the tragedy itself, but also the efforts to stop AAPI violence. 

In our print issue announcing our newspaper's official name change, this article was the centerspread. Our newspaper, formerly known as "The Sagamore" voted to change our name last spring. My examination of similar changes led me to a thorough investigation of Brookline High School's mascot, and I uncovered lots of information regarding its history through archived yearbooks and editions of our newspaper. I worked tirelessly searching for answers about the mascot's forgotten history, and was able to present my research to the greater Brookline community.

I loved learning about the power of female coaching, and its importance in a sport like swimming, seeing as many of the girls described the vulnerability they feel wearing a swimsuit. This piece helped me understand the environment of my high school's swim team after the departure of a male coach who many of the girls did not connect well with. 

Though just a Q & A, this is one of my favorite stories I have worked on. Krisha's initiative was so inspiring, and I was honored to bring her story to the larger community. The exclusion of South Asian and South East Asian communities from the term "Asian" seemed to me an untold story, and I was proud to shine light on Krisha's work.

Amidst our process of reconciling with the harm our previous name, "The Sagamore," caused to Indigenous communities, our staff made a commitment to increasing our coverage of Indigenous voices. I was excited to be able to uplift Indigenous voices in Brookline, and was inspired by all of the cultural celebrations at the event.