Reporting and Writing
“When you're writing, you're trying to find out something which you don't know,” James Baldwin.
I originally joined journalism because I have always loved writing. I didn't know I would leave journalism finding a new love for the process of creating a story and with all of the connections I've made. I've interviewed students from a variety of communities on campus, and created relationships with those people that I wouldn't have met had I not been a journalist. As I formed these connections, I also learned how to organize information, build transitions, and where to integrate quotes into a story. This couldn't have been accomplished without the work and dedication my mentors put into teaching me, lessons which I have focused on transferring to other student journalists.
Editorial
Hiding in plain sight
The discrimination that Micronesian communities face is an often neglected topic. To bring this local story to my school community, I interviewed Micronesian students on campus and learned about the discrimination they have faced in and out of school. I also interviewed a chef from the local restaurant Hana Koa about his own experiences growing up outside of Micronesia, in order to represent the differences felt within the younger and older generations of Micronesian community members. This article taught me how to let my sources guide and direct the story, as their beautiful insights shine through every aspect of this piece.
Vibe check: Examine your inner misogyny
After speaking with friends and classmates about misogyny and how it has been perpetuated in their lives, I decided to write and article on the ways misogyny is ingrained within society. As the interviews within my article show, from a variety of sources, misogyny is present within our language, conversations, and behaviors. The issue, being such a wide topic, naturally led me toward different ideas. However, I learned how to focus and stick to one central topic throughout the writing process. This article is an artifact of this pivotal experience, which I expand upon in my Personal Narrative.
Who's really safe though?
The words “safe space" were often thrown around at school, and it made me wonder how true those words rang. To figure this out, I interviewed students who had been bullied or harassed because of their identity about how they felt seen and treated by the community, in order to answer the question: who's really safe? To get an informative source on the matter, I then interviewed administration and asked them what their plans were to create safe spaces on campus, which added a more critical, analytical lens to the situation.
Fuel in the water
The Red Hill spill caused quite a stir within school and opened many students eyes to some of the problems our Native Hawaiian community faces. I decided to focus on the history of the fuel tanks in Kapūkakī (Red Hill) using it as a lens to educate readers about the militarization of our islands. I interviewed members of the Native Hawaiian community to get a culturally significant view on the issue, and interviewed those outside of the community to illustrate how the poisoning of O'ahu's water affects us all. This article taught me how to synthesize information and quotes in order to compellingly tell a story.
Be an outlaw: Read banned books
The targeting of queer books, many of which were written by authors I love, led me to write this story. After researching why these books were black-listed, I interviewed multiple students and one of our librarians so they could share their opinions on the issue. I took photos of each interviewee standing with their favorite banned book and created an infographic and slideshow about these texts in order to educate individuals on the importance of reading banned literature.
Defining gender and sexuality
The first story I ever wrote for journalism was certainly earnest. Although I would do something much different with this article now, it stands as a testament to how I've always been interested in articles which speak on topics of diversity. This article taught me the basics of journalistic writing, how to interview individuals, and the importance of organizing information.
News
Racist incident at Mid-Pacific
After a racist incident incident occurred on campus, the community was alight with questions, and our staff knew we needed to answer them. This breaking news story taught my how to interview quickly, double check facts, and organize information. I interviewed our Principal and Head of Student Life in order to confirm and deny information the schools population had been sharing. They also addressed the ways the campus could be improved for the better after this occurrence. My team and I worked quickly on this, publishing it soon after the incident occurred, and helping to raise awareness within the community about why this behavior was harmful and not tolerable on our campus.
Chapel's shaking walls
The hire of the new chaplain of Mid-Pacific was a big topic in the community, as many viewed it as a huge pivot of the school’s traditional Christian values. As I heard people constantly talking about this topic, whether it was in the bathroom, locker rooms or cafeteria, I decided to interview these students. They all viewed the situation under a different light, and I made sure to highlight each student's opinion to ensure all areas of campus felt seen. I also interviewed the new Chaplain, in order to communicate how she felt about the criticism.
Features
Taking a step back
Having always searched for stories which cover intense topics, I decided to, well, take a step back. For a week, I went around our campus and community events, searching for moments of students expressing their passions, while still experiencing the mundane, simple joys of life. I wanted to highlight the personality of each student through my photographs and used writing as a way to fully articulate why each student loved what they were doing.
Native Hawaiian issues
Taking a more personalized approach to this story, I decided to highlight Native Hawaiian issues through individual Hawaiian students. I felt simply reporting on the matter didn't do the topics justice. Instead, I wanted to share stories from students who spoke about the importance of these issues in a personable and deeply touching way. I learned a lot about people who I hadn't spoken to before this instance, and formed meaningful connections which I still hold closely to this day.
Sports
The Balance of Judo
Having never been on a sports team, I always admired the connections forged on the judo team and decided to ask them about it. I attended practices and the States Championships, filming the team and interviewing the judoka (teammates) about their personal growth and the bonds they’ve melded while training. Not only was this a great opportunity to speak with people, it put me behind the camera, not behind a notebook, where I learned a different way a story could be reported.
Teacher and student's statements
"Having Pili as an editor for the past three years has made me a better writer, and even guided me to become a leader myself. When providing feedback on our articles and stories, she encourages us to look deeper into our work and create to the best of our ability, while also giving clear and specific edits that actively teach us how to improve. Pili guides the journalism team in such a way that we develop and maintain our own writer’s voices, while still allowing Na Pueo to have a collective goal and identifiable passion in the work we produce. Pili has taught me countless valuable skills throughout the three years I’ve known her, and those lessons will stick with me even after graduation and on," - Katie Troske, Features Editor.
"As a journalist, Pili is willing to dive wherever her stories need to go. She's interviewed administrators, teachers, students of all ages, industry experts, and activists alike. She tries to be where action happens, with the microphone on her phone in hand, along with the journalism room's camera. In addition, Pili is a highly collaborative team player in the reporter's room. Even as a sophomore, second-year journalist, she offered mentorship and writing advice to the entire high school team, and listened with patience to possible changes in her own stories," - Dr. Kara Hisatake, Mid-Pacific English teacher and previous advisor.
Awards and other
Read an article I published with three other amazing high school students in the Miami Herald. This article was created during a Youthcast Media Group Project workshop which focused on the disproportional impacts of climate change on communities of color.
HI State Journalism Award: Best in State blog post of 2021, Most Valuable Staff Member of 2022
National Best of SNO Award: Award for Opinion piece about internalized misogyny.
National Best of SNO Award: Award for Editorial on discrimination against Micronesians.