"Amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel, South grapples with the divide between prominent diaspora communities and the devastation of a war misunderstood."

Israel-Palestine is the most intense, yet meaningful, article that I have ever written. At Newton South, where there is a large difference between Jewish-Israeli and Muslim-Palestinian population sizes, our community became a land mine that resulted in extreme division and animosity. With this article, our managing editor, Risha, and I sought to give justice to both sides of the devastation — an approach that we knew would not be easy or received unanimously well within the community.

We were right. This article became a bombshell in not just our school, but also within the city. Our Principal and Superintendent received dozens of complaints regarding our perspective, writing, and credibility as journalists. Our work was labelled as fallacious, biased, unprofessional, and even as "terrorist propaganda". We originally had a purely informational article published on our website that gave a very minimal history of the conflict as a whole; however, we were pushed by upset parents and by the school to remove it entirely and replace it with a letter of apology. We had prepared with the Student Press Law Center before writing, but I was the one with the connection, and after months of writing, weeks of negative feedback, an entire issue of the paper that I was still upholding my duties for, and being amid college application due dates, I didn't have it in me to push the First Amendment further. 

Yet, I don't have any regrets telling this story. Because while many in the community were upset, I care far more about the fact that this was the first opportunity for others to feel seen, and that is much more valuable than any negativity I might receive as the writer. 

"Amidst a reckoning around sexual harassment, South works to ensure that victims have a complete access and understanding of their rights while managing community perceptions".

NSPA 2022 News Story of the Year - Honorable Mention

After a Title IX violation at our school, my co-centerfold editor, Matan, and I worked to tell the story of those affected, but also to reveal the perspective of our school's administration, who were criticized for their lack of communication and response to the event. Neither one of us had much knowledge of the specificities of Title IX, but I was more emotional toward this topic having been involved in a case of Title IX myself. I was afraid that remaining animosity from my own case would spill into the writing and affect my reporting. This was among the first delicate stories that I've written, and its scale forced me to learn how to balance empathy with information; traits that I aspire to continue demonstrating and developing in my writing. 

"The Newton Teachers Association begins its contract negotiations with a School Committee facing financial pitfalls."

At the time, collective bargaining over a working contract between the Newton Teachers Association and the Newton School Committee were in full swing, but some patterns were emerging. After months of unsuccessful negotiations, Matan and I began to notice that much of the NTA's qualms with the School Committee were on the basis of respect, which we were able to trace to the lawyer that the School Committee had hired, Liz Valerio. With that information, we began investigating the contract negotiations that Valerio had been involved in, and used that in our analysis of the current and future state of negotiations. It was my first experience with investigative journalism, and entered me into a world of untapped understanding that continues to reel in and fascinate me. 

Fun fact: we predicted that the teachers were going to strike a year before it ended up happening. 

"As the Internet makes media coverage more accessible, teens find themselves desensitized to the horrors of war."

At the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, our school was flooded with news and fear, since a significant part of our student body is comprised of Russians and Ukrainians. But over time, Matan and I noticed that atrocities were still happening overseas, but students who were previously so invested in the conflict began quieting down about it. 

After speaking with various Russian and Ukrainian members of the community, along with other students who identify with nations currently at war, I gained a valuable perspective about the hidden fears of students. One student told us about their father and brother who were in Ukraine, and who, at the time, they weren't able to contact and were unsure of their statuses. 

Bringing those perspectives to light is gratifying, not because I want an interesting article, but because I seek to be an outlet where people can go in order to tell their stories for themselves. This article helped me develop that goal, and brought me a step closer to the community and its values. 

The Roar's editorial is an opportunity for members of staff and reporters to, not only air out their grievances with the community, but also come together over a shared perspective. After years of a somewhat incompetent mayor and amidst the worst period for teacher negotiations, we came together as a staff to discuss our qualms with her. Although the opinion of this piece is not necessarily mine, but the collective of the Roar community, this was the first article I ever wrote that very blatantly criticized the policies and actions of a politician, and did so without any counterargument to maintain neutrality. 

Before this article, I never really explored opinions writing because I was adamant that good writing requires neutrality; however, this article taught me the significance and power that comes with taking a side, and that when done effectively, it can make a large impact on its readers.

Also, it doesn't hurt to vent once and a while. 

I wrote this Op-Ed for Fig City News as soon as I heard talk of a strike occurring. I distinctly remember beginning to write this piece even before calling the Editor, Bruce Henderson, and asking him how I can help with coverage of the negotiations. I had been following these negotiations for a year; I knew this was going to be a significant event in our community's history. By covering this experience, I made sure the perspectives and attitudes of the students were documented, particularly the tentative feeling that built up to the conflagration.

"Newtonians question whether the string of recent break-ins was racially motivated."

After months of covering charity 5k races, vending machine updates, and MCAS developments, this was the first article I wrote that made me feel like I was making a difference. However, it is also an article I regret my handling of. 

The allegations of the break-ins being racially motivated, while relevant and valid, were never proved, but I treated them as they were. Although I included perspectives from the chief of police, county district attorney, and mayor, I wrote the article in a way that somewhat discredited what they said and focused on the fact that people felt like it was targeted. I don't regret telling the stories of those who were affected and felt fear from the break-ins, but I regret ending it on a note that insinuated it.  As an Asian person myself, I felt the need to overly empathize with fellow members of the Asian community, and so I added fuel to the fire and emphasized the peculiarity of the case. I had the opportunity to use my platform to calm nerves and prove its randomness, and I regret it not utilizing that, but my recognition of that mistake helped me grow as a comprehensive news writer. 

I didn't write this article; however, along with taking photos, I gathered information for it. After the demonstration, I was invited  by Mayor Fuller's Director of Communications to represent Fig City News during her press release with WBZ News, where she addressed the beginnings of the Newton Teacher's Association's recent strike and updates of negotiations. Interestingly, I was invited because the Fig City reporter who was covering this rally is heavily disliked within City Hall, but I am well and amicably acquainted with Fuller's staff, so I was asked for instead. 

I had never been a part of a political press release before, and it was a valuable opportunity that further exposed me to the profession of journalism. It is among my first steps toward being viewed as a professional writer, rather than a student journalist. 

"A not-so-step-by-step guide on how to come back from pain."

Each issue, Roar carries on its series, "From the Editors Desk",  where members of its Senior Staff have 900 words to write about anything that matters to them. Since I joined Roar, I dreamed of what I would write about and brainstormed dozens of topics. Born from years struggling with mental illnesses, How to take your life back is a piece that indirectly tells my story. It is my most personal piece of writing to date. 

"The decline of Newton’s local press hurts the core of its government and community."

This article was one that I was incredibly interested and passionate about; however, in the beginning stages of interviewing, I re-tore my ACL and meniscus playing competitive volleyball, so I was not as proactive in story development than I hoped to be. Regardless, I did what I could and was fascinated about learning the ways our city specifically is supported by newspapers, but also helped in understanding the structure of our democracy. This was especially interesting because I was researching and understanding this while simultaneously taking AP U.S. History and learning the foundations of democracy. This was among one of the most "learning-forward" articles that I've ever been a part of, and put into perspective the fact that I'm not just a journalist, I'm also a student and a young person still figuring out the workings of our society.

Along with that, this article was how I became acquainted with Bruce Henderson, the founder of the recently founded Fig City News, who later became my mentor and colleague.

"Students reflect on the Nov. 2 mayoral re-election of Ruthanne Fuller."

This article was not the first I wrote about municipal government and politics, but it was the first one that I actually understood. Despite consistently reporting in politics my freshman year, I'm ashamed to admit, but I actually knew very little about politics and its purposes. I didn't understand zoning, economics, policies, public schools, committees, etc.; all I knew is people ran for positions and other people voted! 

In the past, when I wrote political articles, they were more so features on municipal candidates and their feelings on the elections, so with this article, not only did I want to help my reporters write a comprehensive article, but also I wanted to challenge myself and learn more about the specificities that go into municipal government. Although it didn't brief me on every single concern of local governments, it was my start.