Broadcast journalism

As an interdisciplinary journalist, I am passionate about challenging and critiquing society and telling stories that matter. My work reflects my commitment to thorough research, effective storytelling, and engaging audiences through the medium of broadcast journalism.

Six years of journalism showed me that intellectual curiosity can be extended beyond the realms of academia into the larger world. I began to record my thoughts, wielding a camera and microphone to create films. Originally, I thought it was good to highlight human resilience. Later, I realized the intense human connection found in filmmaking. And now, I have five years of experience as a filmmaker and documentarian.

I created a film from my visceral reaction to rising oil prices bringing down families and supply chain shortages bringing down my favorite local restaurants and shops. I witnessed the government trying to fix it and the response of residents motivated by their concern for the wellbeing of the town’s diverse population. Experiencing the complexity of a social and economic issue awakened me to the intensely personal effects of American political freedom. Thus, instead of focusing all my efforts on science and math, I increasingly argued for the importance of interdisciplinary work to solve problems in a world where human connection grows further apart. 

Broadcast Segments For Stentorian

This year, I explored ways to increase the engagement and readership of our newspaper through a new social media (Instagram) account. Although there had been Instagram accounts for The Stentorian in the past, there were way too many, were rarely updated and did not have a large follower base, sending confusion to students who wanted to follow a reliable student news source.

In my two years on The Stentorian’s editorial board, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, from in-depth reports to live coverage, and each video here showcases my skills in video production, editing, and reporting. Our newspaper had never done any sort of broadcast journalism or multimedia stories before, so this was the first time we brought news into moving media. These videos are not just the product of my technical abilities but also my dedication to understanding complex topics and presenting them in an accessible and impactful way. I am willing to explore even more mediums and formats of journalism as I encounter them.

You can view my full portfolio of broadcast journalism work on my YouTube channel NCSSM Stentorian, where I post the videos I’ve created, reported on, and edited. All of these videos are created entirely by my hands, from the ideas to decide what events to cover and people to interview, to the headlines, to the video production and promotion of these videos ASAP on our social media platforms.

C-SPAN Documentaries & Filmmaking

Our hands create the world we want to see. The beauty of civic engagement is in its ability to transform everyday people into changemakers. Being a journalist, filmmaker, and civically-active student has proven that anybody can foster awareness and participate in action-able initiatives and solutions for social change, combatting large social issues in innovative ways.

If being a kid reporter taught me to see social issues, then C-SPAN StudentCam, a national documentary competition, taught me to participate in discussions. Since 2020, I’ve won four national awards with my documentaries focusing on civic engagement, economics, international relations, and more. These documentaries have aired on C-SPAN across the country, featured in Chapel Hill Magazine, Chapelboro.com, 97.9 WCHL The Hill, WRAL, and more, and was recognized by NC Governor Roy Cooper, Senator Thom Tillis, and US Representatives David Price and Valerie Foushee, and NC Representative Allen Buansi.

In 2020, my documentary “AMERICA: This Equality” won 3rd place nationally with a $750 prize. At this time, the pandemic was gearing up, there were social justice movements erupting across the country, and people were coming together to rally for positive change. It was my first time making a documentary, and I combined my experiences from Scholastic Kids Press to make this documentary, which focuses on inequalities I saw across many aspects, racially, socioeconomically, education, and climate action.

In 2021, my documentary “US-CHINA: Survive or Thrive” won 2nd place nationally with a $1500 prize. Noticing how groceries and products were getting increasingly expensive, I decided to do something to engage with the issue of trade wars and explain a little about what was causing it. This was created during the pandemic which meant interviews were conducted via Zoom, but it gave me the opportunity to interview extraordinary people across the nation like former US Trade Representative Carla Hills.

In 2022, my documentary “STAND & DELIVER: Our Youth Voices” won honorable mention with a $250 prize. My hometown was undergoing a municipal election, which many news sources were writing about including a student journalist at my high school. However, her opinion article was under attack by a political organization. By using facts and reasoning and with the support of numerous local news sources, we proved that the youth voice is powerful and not to be underestimated. This message is strung throughout my documentary, which was my first time competing in the high school division. I was lucky to interview Peter Warwick, the CEO of Scholastic Inc.

In 2023, my documentary “MONEY TALKS: Inside the Inflation Surge” won 1st place nationally with a $3000 prize. Inflation was running rampant all over the country and in my hometown, I noticed many small businesses were either closing or struggling to remain open. Oil prices soared and some families experienced financial strife. This documentary offered a glimpse into how inflation works and how inflation rates could be brought down to help these businesses and families.

In 2023, I also founded my high school’s first documentary club, with the purpose of educating middle and high school students about filmmaking.