Commitment to Diversity
Journalism serves its purpose when it is accurately representative of all groups. Journalism should not shy away from telling stories of those who are underrepresented, in fact the role of the journalist is to seek those unheard voices and platform their stories. I have aimed to do this through my journalistic pursuits, and I plan on continuing on that path as I continue writing and sharing stories.
01
The Role They Play
For print Issue 3 of The Muse I wrote a story regarding gender identity on my school's campus and how it either incentivizes or discourages students seeking to obtain leadership roles. For this story, I rewrote it in a matter of 24 hours in order to reinterview the two students I featured. Both students identify as non-binary and they shared their senior and freshman experience. During my re-interview, I set it up as a discussion where I would pose a question and open it up for response to both students. What happened was they would build off of each other's ideas and comments, broadening the discussion and forming links between their stories.
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Photo by Lexi Critchett
02
"Black History is History."
This story was published on The Muse website. I wrote this story as a sophomore and I took it on as an additional assignment to my pre-existing assignments for the web cycle. This was live coverage, so I had to write and get the story through drafts within 24-hours. This story focuses on a virtual Zoom call organized by the Palm Beach County School District in commemoration of Black History month.
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Graphic by Lexi Critchett
03
"I Am Beautiful Enough for Me."
I wrote this feature for the Marquee yearbook during my sophomore year. This was the first feature I wrote for the publication which was a challenge, but also an immense learning experience. This feature got me interested in journalism as a method of vulnerable and raw storytelling. This feature follows the modeling career of a former student at my school and the factor her race plays in the industry. Through the interview, the student discussed her journey of self-acceptance and self-love with an increase in inner confidence. This confidence was previously stifled due to the lack of representation of Black voices in the industry. Through her work in modeling and hopes to pursue additional passions to reshape the industry, she aims to be the voice she never had growing up.
04
Truth Found Through Ethereal Realms
This movie review was published on The Muse website. After seeing Pixar’s animated film “Soul,” I felt prompted to share my thoughts on the plot, character development, art style, and Black representation. This was my first time writing a review, and it acted as a learning curve to present my thoughts in a concise and digestible format.
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Graphic by Tate Ridenour
