Reporting & Writing

The pillars of being a journalist. So simple, yet with a strong foundation, it allows stories of magnificence to be built.

Writing

In The Purple Tide, we have five sections: News, Opinions, Features, Arts & Entertainment, and Sports. I've written in all of them, and here, I'm sharing two from each. I do want to add a reminder that I had moved schools in my sophomore year, so some of my articles do come from a different publication from my current one. More writing from me can be read here: https://spoke.news/staff_name/lizzie-sun/ and https://chantillynews.org/staff_name/lizzie-sun/

News

This section has been dubbed by many the most intimidating and boring section, yet a majority of the articles I've written in my journalistic career were in News. This is not for any random reason. News holds the most potential for making an impact on people. These stories are like cold, hard facts; it spares no one. To me, I'm able to flashlight society on what needs to be paid attention to right now. This is essential in being a good journalist.

FCPS enacts first collective bargaining agreement since 1977

In my junior year, I was doing my usual cumbersome sifting through district school board meeting documents when I stumbled upon "collective bargaining agreement." I didn't know what that mush of fancy words meant, so I researched the definition and what my district, FCPS, was doing.

I then learned there was a whole organization and movement to secure more rights for teachers in my district. We had an absurd bereavement leave policy, empty pay raise promises and a lack of needed planning time for teachers. Knowing this, I knew I had to report on this story.

This story won second place for the VHSL newswriting category in 2025.

This article can be read here.

FCPS addresses pandemic learning losses for students with disabilities

Completed Countdown: CHS’ special education office celebrates a completed goal of 311 meetings for the COVID-19 compensatory education plan.

It seemed my district had many shortcomings, ones that resulted in class-action lawsuits, investigations from the U.S. Department of Education and learning losses for students. I reported about how FCPS was attempting to amend their past actions, but also respectfully stated their wrongdoings as well. Through this story, I met an advocate whose passion infected and reminded me of why I do journalism.

This article can be read here.

Special bonus - Students join nationwide ICE protests

On Feb. 13, junior Daniela Ramos Flores waves a Honduran and Guatemalan flag while raising a poster that reads, “#Free my dad!! My parents are not illegal aliens, they’re human beings.”

In light of recent events, I would like to add another article, a 300-word one. This is my shortest, yet most tragic, article I have written. On Feb. 13, I was walking into the school when my friend asked me if I was going to go to the ICE walkout today. I had heard there was going to be one, but I had no idea it was today.

So when I learned it was after my first period, I grabbed my press pass, camera, and dashed out the door to the football field where it was taking place. I quite literally wrestled my way through the crowd to the scene, braving slippery sidewalks. There, I saw posters with heartbreaking messages and the determined looks in people's eyes. One of my editors questioned the walkout's effectiveness in making a change. I remember giving them an eye and shutting that comment down. This wasn't just about the change. It was about expressing how people feel. People had lost and mourned – they needed to let it out.

Read the article here.

Opinions

Writing in Opinions has taught me to grow a backbone. I grew up as a people pleaser, someone who would agree with whatever the person I was talking to was saying. So, when I needed to write my first Opinion article, I struggled. What if people judge me? What if my opinion is wrong? Yet, like other aspects of journalism, I realized this wasn't about me; it was about others. My duty was to encourage conversation and open people to new perspectives. A well-written Opinion piece pushes readers to think and respond, even if it's a disagreement, something I've now mastered.

Swept under: True purpose of education lost in grades, tests

I remember my friend nearly sobbing her heart out at a grade (which wasn't terrible), and I asked her why she was so upset. She then proceeded to tell me her parents were going to ground her, not because she was disappointed in herself. That's when I felt something was seriously wrong.

As a researched this topic, I thought about how school is a place to learn for yourself, not others. But why did so many of us sometimes not feel that way? Here, in this piece, I dug into that question.

This story won Best of SNO.

This article can be read here.

Personal column: How I season my ‘flavor of Asian’

On Jan. 14, 2014, 6-year-old Lizzie Sun eats her leftover lunch at Einstein Bros. By then, English had replaced her first language, Korean.

To me, I'd always felt like a fake Asian for as long as I could remember; I couldn't even speak my mother tongue. I became mute at family gatherings, shame brewing within me. But slowly, I learned that identity can come from elsewhere, a concept I explored here.

This story won first place for the VHSL Bylined Opinion category in 2025.

This article can be read here.

Features

Oh, how I love people. Learning about people is one of my favorite things to do. People are treasure troves full of stories just waiting to be discovered. I believe that everyone, no matter how ordinary they think they are, has a story worth telling. It's my job to dig that up. Features have always allowed me to do that by focusing on a person or one thing. In my writing, I've gravitated towards the teachers that surround me at my school because... how could I resist? They are those who lift the heavy bricks to build our school and shape thousands of lies without talking about their own.

Running fuels Watkins inside, outside classroom

Special education teacher Andria Watkins gives her class directions and possible takeaways during instruction on Aug. 25.

This article really reminded me of the power of improvising when you interview. I went in with a list of five questions, and came out of a ten times more interesting interview than I was expecting. Dr. Andria Watkins is a runner, but not just any. She runs ultra-marathons and Ironmans, something a sliver of the human population attempts. But why does she do this? To understand her students.

This story will be featured on PBS Student Reporting Labs. More info in the Broadcast Journalism tab.

This article can be read here.

From gardening to classroom: Teacher's mission to grow continues

Tending for growth: Emotional disabilities teacher Kristin Carter adjusts her succulent pots in her classroom on Sep. 6.

I love talking to teachers. They always seem to have this double life, and I am blissfully unaware of it when I walk past them in the hallways. Ms. Kristen Carter is one of them. She gardens, but not mindlessly. She uses the philosophies and connects them with her students. During the time of our conversation, she was proposing an idea to our school's administration for a more hands-on learning experience with parents to learn about a completley seeming unrelated subject.

This article can be read here.

Arts & Entertainment

Although it's not a frequent section I write for, I enjoy writing for A&E because it's more about the community rather than the individual. The nature of commmunities are sharing and bonding through different types of gestures. It's not just a more "lighthearted" or "fun" section; covering A&E helps me witness the passions of groups of people and what they create. Whether it be a noodle shop from a musician trying to earn a living or a group of support students creating, I feel I'm capturing people's desire to connect and be who they are. I want to extend my thanks to the communities I've lived in to allow me to do so.

Restaurant Review: Chopin Noodle House (肖邦拉面馆) harmonizes noodles, tradition

Chinese Jajang Noodles, differing from the Korean variant, is coated in a thinner, more concentrated savory black bean-flavored ground pork sauce.

As a true journalist and foodie at heart, I thoroughly enjoyed eating – er, I mean, reporting on this article.

But in all seriousness, reviewing this meant I learned more than how to eat 5 bowls of noodles; I learned the craft of noodles. I got to introduce a bit of background information about the origin of noodles and the owner as well. On a phone call with the owner (who was in China), I learned there is a craft in handpulling noodles, and I am grateful I had the opportunity to do so.

Read the full article here.

Day 3: Day of Service

Returning Plans: Juniors Sophie Kunsch and Shannon McDonough work together as co-presidents of Best Buddies to plan club events. They helped organize the Holiday Shopping trip and club monthly meetings.

This was from my former publication, in a category called T/E life, which I see as the equivalent of Arts & Entertainment. As one of my earliest articles that I ever wrote, I talked about the activities going on in our community that were for serving others.

Read the full article here.

Sports

I will admit, I was not attracted to Sports initially. People whom I knew whispered how it was dull. I'm ashamed to say I let this close-minded way of thinking prevent me from writing more Sports articles than I wanted. However, recently I dipped my toes in Sports and... I LOVED IT. There's an artistry that goes unseen: the training, the passion, and the desire to shine. Sports articles are not just scores and facts; they're stories rooted in people. I will definitely continue reporting in this section, something that helped me challenge my assumptions. My other sports story about track and field tryouts can be read here.

Varsity sideline team strives for recognition

On Dec. 4, freshmen Teodora Veljkovic and Gabriela Chávez Meruvia and sophomore Ayesha Faruk shake their poms as they cheer on the boys varsity basketball team.

Winter sideline cheer isn't as "hyped" or emphasized with my high school community. They don't complete; they aren't even categorized as a sport. So I was curious how our team affected themselves and the athletes they cheered on. They were overlooked, and that was a reason enough for me to dive headfirst into reporting about them.

This article can be read here.

Winning in white: Football team wins Homecoming game

This was my very first article, published at my old publication called The Spoke in Pennsylvania. It was the shortest one, I believe, as well, with just being two paragraphs long. The focus was on the pictures, as you can check out.

This article can be read here.

Reporting

Reporting to me is like a delicious crepe-cake; something with so many layers and labour, but it has a satisfying final result that's always worth it. I have several unique ways I report, each of which makes a story a tad better, whether it's using a pen and paper for interviews or possessing the skills to track down people.

Interviewing

I feel proud, wearing my press pass. It's a shiny badge of honor that represents the many articles I've written and the stories I've told. I'm a "journalist." Now, it feels deeply embedded into my identity and who I am as a person. Here's a peek into my process, starting from the technical, yet most noble part of journalism.

Pre-interview = research, research, research

Part 1

Sources are key. If you get three sources from students in their freshman year about AI in education/schools, the angle is rather limited. Instead, as I did in this article, I secured an interview with a college admission officer, a college professional, an economics expert, a policy-maker, and an affected student. This ensured depth in my writing. That's only one part, though.

Part 2

You must sound informed when interviewing someone. These are people who are giving up time out of their day to talk to you. Being underprepared is inconsiderate.

This means doing prior research ahead of time. If it's a teacher, I read up on the subject they teach to ask the appropriate questions. If it's a club president, I make sure to read all their recent announcements and resources.

A great, yet "extreme" (as dubbed by one of my co-EICs) example was when I secured an interview with an Economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Mind you, I had no idea what I could ask him about, and the fact that he was an expert in his field did scare me a little.

So I decided to read a research paper of his that was relevant to my article topic (AI affecting education and the workforce). As an AP Research alumn, 65-page documents do not daunt me. So I suck it up and read it, annotating and eventually boiling down its main points on the paper on the right. It took me hours. For a while, it seemed unnecessary, but when I asked him,

"I also reviewed this research paper called Factors Affecting College Attainment and Student Ability in us with Kevin Donovan. I believe it talked about the increasing precision of ability signals as a factor in sorting high-ability students into college. So it's kind of what you were talking about, but I feel like, as AI takes over these routine tasks, like skills, like critical thinking, as you said, start to matter a lot more. So from your perspective as an economist who studies ability, what new or unconventional signs of ability should employers and universities look for when sort of evaluating students?"

His response was... (on the right)

dh_education_web.pdf

Original research paper.

ALL of these emails were part of my mass cold emailing to get one source for an article (college admissions officer).

Suddenly, those painful hours reading up on the paper became worth it. I got great information out of him and a dazzling compliment. As I asked more questions with my research, my belief in researching ahead only strengthened.

However, I am not saying you need to strictly stick to a script; rather, you need to gain enough understanding ahead of time so you can improvise and ask more during the interview.

My final summary notes from the research paper.

You may be able to tell I truly had to dig up these papers from how crumpled they are in my battered, yet well-loved reporter's notebook.

When interviewing:

I like to write down all my interview questions on paper instead of having a computer or phone on hand... and I'll be stubborn about that, no matter how many times my friends tell me to use my phone. I strongly believe that any form of electronic device signals to the person I'm interviewing that my attention is not 100% focused on them; that's disrespectful. Therefore, pen and paper are my best friends.

Post-interview

I always love to send a follow-up "Thank you" email, or at the very least, update the individuals I featured when my article gets published!

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