Hey, I'm Bella.
Photo by Ken Martin, Artsakh War demonstration at the MA State House
Growing up, I always hated current events. I wasn't a particularly strong writer, and I held a prejudice of people who took pictures of everything and anything. I joined my school's print newspaper, The Lion's Roar, as a distraction from an athletic injury, and because my sister was on the school's online newspaper, so I had to be different.
I had no idea that it would become my life.
Because I always found fault in the pursuit of knowledge. I couldn't figure out why I would do anything if it was only to my benefit. But upon joining the newspaper, I quickly became infatuated with talking to people and exploring minds other than my own, because it gave me a purpose — something that went beyond my own desires.
By talking to people and organizing their thoughts on paper, I found my place in this world. I found the way with which I want to help people and contribute to society. My passion for journalism lies in giving people a voice and a say in their own narrative. The written word is among the most delicate aspects of our life, because it writes history. I seek to treat that word with the respect it deserves, and constantly push the boundaries and discomforts of pain in order to tell the whole story of our humanity.
2024 Massachusetts High School Journalist of the Year
Co-Editor-in-Chief (2023-24)
Co-Centerfold Editor (2022-23)
News Section Editor (2021-22)
News, Features, and Sports Reporter (2020-21)
Roles
Outside of Roar
Fig City News student reporter (2023-present)
Armenian Mirror Spectator Contributing reporter and photographer (2021-23)
Individual:
NSPA 2022 News Story of the Year - Honorable Mention for A Balancing Act
Staff:
2022 Suffolk University Massachusetts Student Journalism Awards: 1st place News award
Award featured article: Break-ins Stoke Fear
2022 Suffolk University Massachusetts Student Journalism Awards: 1st place General Excellence award
2022 National Scholastic Press Association: National High School Journalism Convention Best of Show Award: 4th place for The Lion’s Roar
2023 Suffolk University Massachusetts Student Journalism Awards: 1st place News award
2023 Suffolk University Massachusetts Student Journalism Awards: 1st place General Excellence award
New England Scholastic Press Association Awards: Highest Achievement award (EIC of volume)