My Work
These are the pieces that I am most proud of over the course of my high school career. As you can see, they are mostly features. I’ve written news and opinion pieces before, but nothing speaks to me like human stories. I love to feel like I am giving others a voice through my writing. Each of these stories shaped me as a journalist. They taught me that storytelling isn’t just about reporting facts—it’s about capturing emotion, building trust, and amplifying stories that might otherwise go unheard.
At a time in our lives when looking cool is nearly always a top priority, it can be hard to tell the real stories of our peers. I often feel like, no matter what questions I ask, my interviews with adults almost always yield more information than interviews with people my age. This story was different.
Ariyana, a 17-year-old stroke survivor, sat down with me and told me her whole story. I could tell it wasn’t easy for her. She admitted she prefers not to show emotion, but in our interview, she described how she felt in every moment of her journey. I felt a strong sense of responsibility to tell her story as best I could—not for awards or recognition, but to make her proud.
February 13, 2025
The Future of Teaching
Three student teachers discuss their goals and aspirations as educators
This article was the first time I intentionally broke AP-style rules. I was interviewing a student teacher who went by Danilo, just Danilo. He believed that respect should be earned by teachers, not demanded. He never told us his last name.
I decided to incorporate this detail into the article. “The Future of Teaching” was suggested by student teachers themselves. They wanted students to know what inspired them to enter the profession. When the article was published, they were so excited that they asked Belle and me to sign copies for them.
January 21, 2025
Finding our voices
How high school students shape their political views
This was my first time covering politics, and it was truly an eye-opening experience. I feel like people tend to assume my generation gets all of its political information from parents, but I wanted to dig deeper to see what truly shapes our political views.
At first, it was difficult to get people to open up. Everyone worried about saying something controversial or incorrect. But after I learned how to ask the right questions, they began to trust me. They shared the real experiences that influenced the way they vote.
November 7, 2024
Ronshon Fisher always has a smile on his face. He joined our school this year as the head security officer. I first met him when I was selling homecoming T-shirts for student council. He walked up to my table and asked to buy 25, five in each size.
I was confused. Why would he need over $100 worth of shirts? But then, I watched as he walked through the hallways, asking students if they had bought a shirt yet. If they hadn’t, he gave them one for free. I immediately knew I had to tell his story.
Being a school security officer is a demanding job, but he has so much love for our school community. He takes immense pride in keeping us safe every day. When he read his story, he admitted that he got so excited, he teared up a little.
October 26, 2024
Pups With A Purpose
Why East Lansing’s new facility dogs deserve a round of a-paws
As I walked through the halls of Robert L. Green Elementary School with facility dog Trammel, I couldn’t help but notice how the kids’ faces lit up when they saw him. Entire classes of kids would squeal with excitement, and beg their teachers to get out of line so they could pet him. I wanted to write about Trammel because I was curious about the emotional impact of having a facility dog at the elementary level.
We have two facility dogs at the high school, but they mostly visit classes during finals, offering comfort to stressed students. But at the elementary school, I discovered that facility dogs serve different roles: friends, reading buddies, and rewards for good behavior.
March 27, 2024
Snow Right Call
Why calling for a snow day is more stressful than you’d think
When I was in middle school, there were weeks when the forecast practically guaranteed a snow day, causing a wave of excitement among students. However, this excitement led some students to send our brand-new superintendent threats on social media.
I wanted to meet with her to learn how she determines whether to call a snow day or not, hoping to increase students’ understanding of her decision-making process and relieve some of the pressure she faces. I don’t typically write opinion pieces, but this one mattered to me because it meant helping someone.
February 16, 2024
Gianni Feraco left school one day, and very few people knew why. He was a football coach and student advocate. His office was tucked away in the back wing of the school. As everyone gradually took note of his absence, rumors spread about why he left.
When he returned the following school year, I got the full story. That interview was the only one I’ve ever cried in. Suddenly, his voice broke, his eyes welled up with tears, and before I knew it, I was crying too. That moment defined what journalism is for me. It’s about giving others a voice and telling their stories in a way that creates real moments where readers get a glimpse into someone else’s world.
MIPA- In-Depth Feature Honorable Mention
November 9, 2023
Ashley Schwarzbek was another individual who stepped up during the period when there were gaps in leadership. She became the official principal this year. Schwarzbek had been an assistant principal for a while, and I had interviewed her before, but writing this article allowed me to truly understand her story.
Schwarzbek had struggled with a learning disability and had to work hard to reach the position she holds today. As someone who struggles with attention disorders that inhibit my learning, her story deeply resonated with me. She became a beacon of success at a time when academics felt impossible.
Human Interest Feature (2nd Place)-2024
October 5, 2023
This article was written during a difficult period for our school. Our brand-new principal had suddenly, and other teachers had to step up to fill the gaps he left.
I wrote “Profe to Principal” to honor a Spanish teacher who became an assistant principal in a matter of weeks and a Spanish 1 teacher who took on his AP class. Both played crucial roles in our community by leaping into new roles when we needed them the most. Since this article was published, Mr. Lampi has since gone on to become an official assistant principal at our school, but he never forgot this story. When he sees me in the hallway, he always asks how Portrait is going. Lampi is mentioned in some of my other articles like “Fighting to be here” and “Unbreakable” for the support he offered others when they needed it the most.
Informative Feature (2nd Place)-2024
April 20, 2023
This was the first center spread I ever wrote, and it didn’t go as planned. Our original idea was to focus on students who didn’t celebrate Christmas. But after polling and research, we were surprised to find that most students at our diverse school did celebrate Christmas or at least participated in some Christmas traditions, despite their religious backgrounds.
Only a small number of students didn’t celebrate at all, and they had already been interviewed multiple times in previous years. So, we pivoted and focused on unique holiday traditions instead. This resulted in a mix of personal stories and celebrations that some students at East Lansing High School observed. The experience taught me to go beyond the obvious topics and find stories in the people I pass in the hallways every day.
Diversity Coverage (Honorable Mention)-2023
December 4, 2022
A Look Into LINKS
How the LINKS program benefits the special education curriculum
I came up with the idea for this story during a brainstorming session. We were walking through the school asking for story ideas when I entered a special education class. The teacher mentioned that her students rarely got coverage in the school publications.
As we talked, I watched the class in action. They had a program called “LINKS,” where a special education student was paired with a general education student for schoolwork and socializing. I saw a student laughing with his link and knew I wanted to write about it.
I interviewed Marquis, a student in the class. It was his first interview. He beamed before I even asked the first question. My article still hangs in that classroom today. Seeing my words bring joy to someone else showed me the power of storytelling.
November 2, 2022
From a New Perspective
Teachers and students discuss why AP classes don’t reflect school-wide demographics
This article helped me find my footing in Portrait. Before, I had been writing simple news and sports stories. When Adan asked me to work on this with him, I was nervous but excited about the opportunity.
Our first interview was with an administrator. As we walked into the office, Adan confidently approached the secretary and asked for an interview. Everyone knew him and greeted him as he made his way through the hallways. I knew then—that was the kind of journalist I wanted to be.
In the end, we uncovered a story that would have gone unwritten if we hadn’t questioned and explored deeper. This was the experience that made me a feature writer.
Diversity Coverage (Honorable Mention)-2022
February 12, 2022