Photojournalism
I have enjoyed taking pictures from a young age. Whether I was at the park, hanging out with friends, or even in my own home, I have found photography to be one of my favorite mediums. My photography work has also been recognized through the Scholastic Art Competition.
Several clubs at our school were collaborating to celebrate International Education Week. As someone who greatly values diversity within our school, I decided to document the week through this article. I wanted to capture the diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds of students at Brookfield East, and the variety of ways in which students shared their heritage with others.
During my sophomore year, I took pictures for a print article about Word Hurt Week, a week dedicated to bullying prevention and discrimination within our school. The initiative is facilitated by our school's PRISM (Pride, Raising Awareness, Involvement, Support, and Mentoring) club. Through these photos, I captured them working together to spread their message during this crucial week.
The Brookfield East library underwent a drastic renovation. While the changes led to a temporary inconvenience, the story behind the renovations was truly inspiring, as the project was led by two students at our school. I knew I wanted to cover the topic. Through photography, I wanted to highlight the importance of the shift from the library to learning commons by capturing how the library is used in a multitude of ways, whether it be for book club meetings, studying, or socializing with others.
This photo was taken in 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest. The protest was organized by a group of seniors at Brookfield Central High School. I was inspired by their willingness to take on this initiative. This photo is representative of how social movements can bring individuals of all backgrounds together in the name of justice and equality. Additionally, it highlights the power of the potential that youth have to be advocates for social justice.
Every year our school hosts a freshman information night to help incoming freshmen learn more about high school. In addition to making posters to recruit new members for the Spartan Banner, I also spent the night taking pictures of the event and capturing the spirit of high schoolers hosting the event, middle schoolers, and the families of students.
Scholastic Art Competition
During the 2021-2022 school year, one of my submissions to the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition received a Gold medal in the photography category. This image represents class divisions in Pakistan because the staircases in the photos lead to the servant's quarter of the house. This year, I also received an Honorable Mention and a Gold Key in Photography. My Gold Key submission will now be judged at the national level.
My artwork was displayed at the Milwaukee Art Museum alongside several other award-winning pieces.
Climb Down, Gold Key 2021-2022
Get Out, Gold Key 2023-2024
Trinkets, Honorable Mention 2023-2024