Reporting and Writing

Going into the workshop, I did not have much knowledge about gardening and native plants. But after talking to the organizer of the event, the speakers, and participants, I gained a better understanding of how native plants are key to an ecosystem and how they increase biodiversity.

With the new mayor of San Francisco comes a new plan of action to tackle homelessness. I wanted to ask those who lived in San Francisco and commuted to the city if they had more optimism with the new plan and mayor or not. 

With a popular study spot for Carlmont students disappearing temporarily, I wondered what improvements the library would undergo and where students like myself would go to study instead.  

After Valentine's Day, controversy began brewing between Walmart and small businesses over who makes better custom cakes on social media. As someone passionate about baking, I wanted to express my opinion of how cakes are essential for celebrations and do not have to be expensive or fancy to be enjoyed.

 When President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China took effect, I wanted to understand how those tariffs impacted how small businesses operated and consumers' spending habits.

When Starbucks came out with a new code of conduct, I wanted to find out why they changed it and how it would impact their customers.

Reading news articles about the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, I couldn't help but think about why people rejoiced for his death. That's when I realized it was because people are denied healthcare. I wanted to show the corruption of the healthcare industry in the U.S. and a way to improve it.

While I was out of state for a journalism trip, my mom texted me about how people in the Bay Area, specifically PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) customers were having power outages due to strong winds creating downed power lines. While eating banana pudding, I managed to get all my interviews and write my story on time despite not being home. My friend, Keira Sarmiento, drew the photo for me to emphasize the dangers of power outages!

After constantly looking for a new story in the county to cover, I found a live report showcasing a huge fire a few miles away from school. When school ended, I rushed to where the fire was and immediately looked for people to talk to. 

After constantly looking for a new story in the county to cover, I found a live report showcasing a huge fire a few miles away from school. When school ended, I rushed to where the fire was and immediately looked for people to talk to. 

This was my first breaking news article! The beginning of the school year had so much news going on, and I was interested in knowing how the weight room flooded, as well as what caused a lingering odor in campus. 

As Advanced Placement (AP) exams took place, I wanted to see how effective it was to bring therapy dogs to the quad. Although it was a short moment, many that I interviewed shared similar thoughts of having a weight taken off their shoulders after petting a dog.

By learning about how Shelley Bustamante became a crisis management counselor, I learned how people overcame their mental struggles and became more perceptive about the people around me.

I saw Chamber Music Night as an opportunity for me to listen to music and produce more action shots. Writing the article taught me more about how hard people worked to prepare to perform that night.

Dance teachers and Carlmont students in the intermediate and advanced dance teams came together to teach participants at the Carlmont Dance Day. I had fun interviewing the dancers, participants, and teachers. While taking photos with fast movements is challenging, this article inspired me to take more action shots. I also submitted this article for an award as an entertainment package since it had photos, writing, and an infographic that I liked, and it got third place!

When the second semester started, I wanted to understand what others at Carlmont thought about the workload and how the Peer Tutoring Club helped them. I talked to the club president and other members about how students channel success with their tutor's support.

With Christmas and Winter break approaching, I decided to cover something involving festivity and cheer. I had the chance to interview choir students about their passions of singing and making children smile.

This is my first published article! Here, I explained process of planning the ASB Halloween lunch events, and how teachers and students alike enjoyed the event.