Out of school
I was in Minnesota when I first got published.
The summer after freshman year, my family and I embarked on a cross-country road trip. As I sat in the backseat of our family car, staring out to the great Midwestern plains, I decided that I wanted to take writing to another level. And so I did. In the car.
At the time, Newton's sole news source (other than The Lion's Roar), The Tab, was made up of real estate listings around the Greater Boston Area, obituaries, and advertisements that looked like it had been made with Microsoft Paint. The Tab was dying; I couldn't go there.
The Boston Globe? The Lowell Sun? Heck, maybe I'll be the youngest person to write for the New York Times. No. I needed a way in.
Earlier that year, my classmate and I had organized an "Armenian Awareness Day" webinar for our school, to teach the school about our history with the Armenian Genocide, Armenian culture, and to tell our family stories.
Coincidentally, my father went to school with the Lead Editor of The Armenian Mirror Spectator, an Armenian Newspaper based in Watertown, MA, Aram Arkun. Emails were exchanged, and all of a sudden, I was writing about the very event I had come up with.
I look back now and realize the illegitimacy of writing an article about one's own endeavor, but the feeling of contributing to something larger than just my school trumps it every time I reminisce.
At around 11am on a sunny morning in late July, sitting in a Starbucks off of a highway in Minnesota, I became a published journalist. I had received a whole column dedicated to, "Newton South High School Hosts Armenian Awareness Day". What a day.
At that point, I knew that there were so many opportunities to explore, right under my nose. Why wouldn't I at least shoot my shot?
Hey bruce!
Fig City News
When The Tab died, Fig City News emerged as a community hub for local news. None of the founders had journalism experience, but they recognized a need for news and political accountability in our community, something we had sorely been lacking since the Tab's decline years before its official dissolve.
My co-editor and I dove into this topic in our article, The Full Story. From there, I got the conversation going with Bruce Henderson, the Lead Editor from Fig City.
I started small. Covering student initiatives, I had plummeted straight back to the bottom of the journalism food-chain. But I was ok with that, because I loved the feeling of writing again and contributing to the larger cause of developing Newton's journalism sphere.
By that point, I had grown into my title as "student reporter" and by the summer of 2023, I evolved into a "student intern".
Being an intern set me up for greater involvement in Fig City. That summer, I worked with Bruce to develop a marketing and advertising strategy for Fig City (greater detail in Marketing section), and established my interest in local politics. I began to shadow various reporters, and eventually got to co-write my first local politics article, "Superintendent Anna Nolin discusses NPS strengths and challenges with Fig City News". Working with Adam Bernstein was an incredible experience, and getting the inside scoop (and off the record scoop!) from our new Superintendent, especially given our state of contract negotiations at the time, was so valuable.
Thus, my journey continued. I will not be a member of Roar for much longer, as the volume is ending in mere days, so I intend to continue writing throughout the rest of this year with Fig City News.
From the Mayor's Office
I mention previously in my reflection for Parents Rally While Teacher Strike Looms that I represented Fig City in the Mayor's press release regarding the strike. This was my first time witnessing a real press conference especially with broadcast and large outlets, and it was so fascinating to watch, not only the process of gathering information for broadcast, but also to witness, firsthand, how phony politicians are. I have a good relationship with our Mayor and have been working with her since I was a sophomore, but watching her squirm under the pressure of big-time journalists was something I will never forget.
That day demonstrated to me the theatrical element of journalism and the way that oftentimes, one can't always get straightforward information. WBZ was not necessarily interested in asking incredibly thought-provoking questions — they just wanted her official statements that I'm sure her and her team had written moments before the release. But I wasn't satisfied with that. If in-depth reporting on centerfold taught me anything, its that its not a successful interview unless someone of authority tells you something they aren't supposed to.
When WBZ time was over, I had approximately 3 seconds to figure out: What information am I trying to extract from her, and how am I going to deliver it that makes it sound friendly?
How am I gonna get her to crack?
By reading the transcript, you can tell that I was not the most successful in getting her to crack, but if you look at the time-stamps, you can tell that she made pretty significant pauses, in the time that she was using to think about her responses. She didn't do that with WBZ, and even though my questions were simple and to the point, I did my best to focus on trigger words and points of contention. Instead of half-answering the question like she did with WBZ, she just didn't answer any of mine at all.
Well played, Mayor Fuller. Well played.
I'll get you next time.
My friendship with Kathleen
Kathleen Hennrikus, the subject of "Spotlight: Spotlight" was formerly a researcher for the Boston Globe Spotlight team. The case she worked on, get this, was the infamous John Geoghan case.
I met Kathleen over the summer when I was delivering a stack of Roar articles to the Newton Free Library. She was behind the checkout desk, and upon finding out about my journalistic experiences, told me about hers. I was instantly engrossed, and immediately asked her if I could write a piece about her. She agreed.
I implore you to read the article — it revealed a perspective of the Geoghan case and of the journalism industry as a whole that went overlooked and misrepresented in the coverage of the reporting.
She and I got along very well — she is among the only people I know who shares in my deep love of the art of journalism. Once in a while, we still grab lunch and either catch up on our lives or debate the philosophies of political institutions.
Kathleen is an unlikely friend of mine who I will not forget, and she represnts the deep connections journalists hold among people. Both of our love for meeting new people, swapping stories, and hearing others' brought us together in a way only journalists can, and only in a way that journalists do.
The Armenian Mirror Spectator
Newton South High School Hosts Armenian Awareness Day
United Boston Armenian Community Calls for Ending Artsakh Blockade
Contributing photographer
Not the cover photo, though
Double-trouble
The Mirror-Spectator, although not my main outlet for contribution in professional journalism, holds a special place in my heart as the combination of two of my identities: as a journalist and as a member of the Armenian community.
My work on The Mirror-Spectator remains unfinished. I've started numerous articles, many of which remain incomplete, such as an in-depth look into how young Armenian activists view and get involved in diplomacy, and my report as a lobbyist for the Armenian Assembly of America in DC. I did, in-fact, go to DC and was planning on being the Mirror-Spectator representative, but ended up just sitting there.
I don't contribute to Mirror-Spectator as much as I would like to because I am not great at covering culture-related topics. I find it difficult to balance my affinities for the group I am so connected with whilst also conducting ethical and good reporting. Also, culture isn't really my thing. I prefer politics.
But I'll continue to try and expand my breadth as a journalist. Perhaps I'll finish that article about young Armenian diplomacy...
Lobbying in DC for an increase of aid to be sent to Artsakh Armenians during the Azeri blockade of the Lachin corridor
I wasn't necessarily there to advocate, more to spectate. I wanted to see how big time politics functions and the speed with which, as a journalist, I hope to have to keep up with.
Its really fast. And it is so exciting.