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A part of the 1%
A part of the 1%
In 2023 I remember asking the president of the Asian American Journalist Association, Nicole Dungca at a panel, "What can journalists do to foster initiatives beyond tokenism in the newsroom?" It's a question that is difficult to answer, and is still applicable at the high school level.
In 2023 I remember asking the president of the Asian American Journalist Association, Nicole Dungca at a panel, "What can journalists do to foster initiatives beyond tokenism in the newsroom?" It's a question that is difficult to answer, and is still applicable at the high school level.
I go to a school that is not diverse, with a 1% Asian population. As a member of the Asian-American and queer community, I wanted to represent my own lineage as well as experiences with discrimination. This fostered in many ways early on, including founding a multicultural club at my school (separate from the Asian American affinity club), becoming head of the League of Women Voters Advisory Council DEI committee, and writing predominately opinion pieces about social issues my sophomore year.
I go to a school that is not diverse, with a 1% Asian population. As a member of the Asian-American and queer community, I wanted to represent my own lineage as well as experiences with discrimination. This fostered in many ways early on, including founding a multicultural club at my school (separate from the Asian American affinity club), becoming head of the League of Women Voters Advisory Council DEI committee, and writing predominately opinion pieces about social issues my sophomore year.
For so long the industry has been dominated by one demographic. From writing features on affinity clubs, to later covering historical reconciliation movements, and then uncovering buried explicit racist archives on Mount Hood, my commitment to diversity is deep-rooted. The very concept of diversity, is what drew me into the newspaper, and it's what I hope to continue to report on in the future. I aim to cultivate a diverse staff where everyone feels welcome, and bring in multiple perspectives that are often underrepresented in the newsroom.
For so long the industry has been dominated by one demographic. From writing features on affinity clubs, to later covering historical reconciliation movements, and then uncovering buried explicit racist archives on Mount Hood, my commitment to diversity is deep-rooted. The very concept of diversity, is what drew me into the newspaper, and it's what I hope to continue to report on in the future. I aim to cultivate a diverse staff where everyone feels welcome, and bring in multiple perspectives that are often underrepresented in the newsroom.
Rural Organizing Project
Rural Organizing Project
Rural Organizing Project is an organization connecting 80+ human dignity groups across the state. Over the summer, I had the chance to volunteer for their communications team, and use my journalistic skills to report on issues that effect rural areas. What's interesting is that I was able to overcome my geographical disparity by working remotely, conducting research on Pride Events over the summer, and interviewing organizers who had dealt with far-right extremism.
While I wrote "values" oriented emails as well, the story to the right is my feature/profile I wrote about the organization Oregon Remembrance Project. It shows my understanding of broader movements and desire to shed light on work being done in rural areas.
Oregon Remembrance Project Seeks Reconciliation and Connection – Rural Organizing Project (1).pdf
REporting on what it means to be Asian-American in my community
REporting on what it means to be Asian-American in my community
What first helped me understand my identity was a book called "The Loneliest Americans" by journalist Jay Caspian King. It introduced me to a world of conflicting Asian identity, something I sought out my sophomore year to capture in this article.
As a journalist, I ensured my own opinion wasn't in the story, and interviewed multiple students and staff, all who had completely different perspectives.
One student saw no real "Asian experience" than appearance
One student felt like her Hmong culture was not validated or understood by the community
One teacher felt that DEI initiatives could be damaging, seeing everyone's differences as a "salad bowl" rather than a melting pot.
It was fascinating to learn about all the different ways people could experience identity, and more so, important for me to be able to write one of my first articles about something that resonated with me. It was the beginning of what grew to be a commitment to reporting on social-oriented topics.
Diving into History & The Present: Current Works
Diving into History & The Present: Current Works
Redefining Rural
Redefining Rural
Perhaps the most personal and important story to me thus far, is this personal essay published in The Oregonian which served as a reflection of my time in Sandy. It was difficult to be vulnerable; still, that vulnerability is what drew me to represent voices like mine in journalism. I continued with the story even as I struggled to find evidence in my area. I talked to three historians before I found one, who ended up having an artifact that stated racial exclusion policies, explaining the demographics that shaped my life. It was a year of revision, communicating with my editors and researching.
Tim Weiner
Tim Weiner
As someone who grew up attending small street sign protests and receiving extreme push back by far-right groups, I have a fascination with domestic terrorists groups such as The Proud Boys. I interviewed Tim Weiner about white Christian nationalism as a freelance story for the student-led magazine The Introspect. I was really nervous to interview Weiner, as he is a Pulitzer Prize winner for his novel "Legacy of Ashes." As I anxiously completed my interview, I had a realization: confidence is key. Even though I was terrified, I didn't let it show, and eventually, the 2 hour long interview was successful. Weiner even told me and my editor, Elizabeth, that we were "wicked smart." It became a huge stepping stone in my confidence to contact sources in an unfamiliar beat.
Creating a range of stories
Creating a range of stories
The Pioneer Press uses many different kinds of stories, and when we pitch our stories we ensure to fulfill all of the categories. We do this using a story assignment sheet to ensure that many kinds of stories, groups are captured. When I create stories I try to create a range of perspectives, activities and clubs. For example, last issue, I pitched an opinion story on cliques, but also a sports story for nutritional myths.
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