Meet the 2021 class of summer academy fellows
Meet the distinguished fellows below:
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NAME: Alice Scott GRADE: 9th SCHOOL: McCallum High School LOCATION: Austin, Texas LOCAL STATION: KLRU WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I started out in broadcast journalism wanting to be on camera as a news anchor. But my advisors always encouraged us to try to learn more than one type of role in our program. As I started to interview people and create segments, I fell in love with getting to talk to others and hear their stories. I think it is important that I help share these stories because not only does it give a voice to those involved, but also services the community in getting to hear and see these stories. |
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NAME: Andrea Salazar Lopez GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering LOCATION: Beaverton, Oregon LOCAL STATION: Oregon Public Broadcasting WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? Over quarantine I learned about a lot of different branches of science and social injustices that I had strong opinions about and wanted to be heard. I’m the most proud of my thanksgiving COVID precautions video because I put a lot of work into it over the course of three months. It was great because I interviewed medical professionals and did research. |
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NAME: Aneka Torgrimson GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Nevada Union High School LOCATION: Nevada City, California LOCAL STATION: KVIE WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I have always been passionate about storytelling because it opens up conversations between people. Shared experiences and meaningful moments can come from sharing our stories with each other, we also have the power of inspiring others with storytelling. I discover the real power of storytelling in Freshman year of high school when I participated in Story Corps. I got to interview my mom and for the short 40 minutes that I had talking to her, we laughed, cried and learned so much about her. That was the moment I realized how impactful storytelling could be. |
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NAME: Bailey Liebert GRADE: 12th SCHOOL: Cody High School LOCATION: Cody, Wyoming LOCAL STATION: Wyoming PBS WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? No matter how cliche it sounds, everyone has a story. I love to listen to people talk about themselves and I want to record it and share it with everyone. In this time, we have to recognize that we are all human. Our strongest power is relating with each other and seeing each other as equals. Telling people’s stories bonds us together and lets us move together as one. |
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NAME: Brianna Valcarcel GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Judge Memorial Catholic High School LOCATION: Salt Lake City, Utah LOCAL STATION: PBS Utah WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I am most proud of my culture. I am proud of my culture because it takes a big place in my identity. My identity is who I am and I take that with me wherever I go. My culture has taught me how to be kind, free, passionate and caring. My culture reminds me of where I came from and how I should not be ashamed of that. |
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NAME: Cheyanne Jauregui GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Don Antonio Lugo High School LOCATION: Chino, California LOCAL STATION: PBS SoCal WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? Telling someone’s story is how we connect with people across the globe. It gives us the ability to have compassion and empathy for others. It inspires people to bring change to the world. Words can impact communities everywhere. Controversial words have changed the future. We need change for future generations and this is one of the many ways to do it. I want to be the person to deliver these stories unbiased, with credibility, and facts. We need it more than ever. |
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NAME: Damein Williams GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Franklin Learning Center LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LOCAL STATION: WHYY WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I love telling stories that inspire people. I am most proud of the story I made about my school’s building environment, because it felt like I was inspiring people to look into the history of the building. |
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NAME: Lilly Rodriguez GRADE: 12th SCHOOL: The U School LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LOCAL STATION: WHYY WHAT STORY ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m most proud of sharing the story of the black trans women of this country. The average lifespan of a transgender woman of color is 35. I found this fact to be revolting, and I felt the need to voice this critical issue. As a student journalist, the most someone can do in my shoes is bring awareness to the issues I feel are important. If I could turn just one head of someone in power who also believes these issues are important, it would be worth it. |
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NAME: Gracie Osborne GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Oakland Military Institute LOCATION: Oakland, California LOCAL STATION: KQED San Francisco Bay Area WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? Storytelling is the art of highlighting real but unseen stories into the light. I am most proud of the story I co-produced about mental health and how teens can normalize (talking about) it, not glamorize it. Mental health is the essence of well-being; it impacts our physical health. The story was relevant to teens and to everyone, especially while enduring this pandemic. |
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NAME: Ho’ohieokala Luna-Beamer GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Maui High School LOCATION: Wailuku, Hawaii LOCAL STATION: PBS Hawaii WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I wish to bring the important tales of those who are unrepresented to mainstream media. Personally, I know what it feels like to be unheard and I hope that others who feel the same way––know that their story matters to myself and so many others. |
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NAME: Isaac Harte GRADE: 8th SCHOOL: Shipley School LOCATION: Coatesville, Pennsylvania LOCAL STATION: WHYY WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? Amna Nawaz, (you know who that is). I really enjoy her reporting style, as a national correspondent she reports on everything from immigration and black female country stars to women fighting the Taliban and the capitol insurrection. I could go on forever. |
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NAME: Jazlynn Joanna Lorenzo GRADE: 8th SCHOOL: Carroll M. Johnston Middle School LOCATION: Las Vegas, Nevada LOCAL STATION: Vegas PBS WHAT STORY ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? The story that I am most proud of is my story on Malala Yousafzai. Malala is one of my greatest role models. Not only did she fight for her education, but she didn’t let others silence her. That is why I was very excited to be able to do a biography video presentation on her, and to present it to the school during the morning announcements. |
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NAME: Jeremiah Mitchell GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Greater Atlanta Christian School LOCATION: Tucker, Georgia LOCAL STATION: Georgia Public Broadcasting WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I love the idea of weaving together a narrative that can be used to inspire others or simply communicate information in a dramatic way. A personal story I tell fairly often is the story of my birth. Whenever I tell it I don’t intend to be narcissistic or expect/want pity because I tell it to relate to others. Put simply I was born with a condition at birth that made the doctors assume I was dead or going to die early on but through the faith of my parents and myself I was brought into this world, beating the odds at each turn. |
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NAME: Kiera Eckhart GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Etiwanda High School LOCATION: Rancho Cucamonga, California LOCAL STATION: PBS SoCal WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I discovered when I first began journalism that I was able to not only further educate myself on topics that I found significant, but I was also able to teach others in ways that I had never been able to do before. Storytelling drives politics, social movements, and opens up conversations that are difficult to talk about which I believe is unmatched in importance. |
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NAME: Kylie Flores GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Jersey Village High School LOCATION: Houston, Texas LOCAL STATION: Houston Public Media WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? Originally, I was going to go down a music/sound engineering path, so I joined the Digital Audio Technology class at my school. From there, I realized my passion and what I wanted to do with my future. The story I am most proud of is one about the Pledge of Allegiance, and how a number of students are protesting by sitting down during that time because of ongoing racism in America. I interviewed a variety of students with opposing viewpoints and tried to highlight everyone’s opinion. |
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NAME: Madeline Mayes GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Fort Hamilton High School LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York LOCAL STATION: WNET WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? The world is filled with stories––most of which we will never be able to know. Everyone has a story that deserves to be heard. On our school’s podcast, we promote cross-partisan dialogue, and this was my first podcast where our guest––who spoke in support of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett––was comfortable to openly discuss their beliefs. Our listeners mostly consist of youth, and I was so grateful that our listeners could learn from the other side of the aisle and try to understand it. |
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NAME: Marshall Burkhalter GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Oak Ridge High School LOCATION: Spring, Texas LOCAL STATION: Houston PBS WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I have spent my junior year making news stories for War Eagle News Network, my school’s weekly news and I have a knack for editing and a love for having a finished product that I can show to the world no matter how many people see it. I plan on going to film school and pursuing video journalism editing as a full time career and I think this would be an amazing opportunity for me to grow as a creator. |
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NAME: Mustafa Aly Fawzy Aboud GRADE: 11th SCHOOL: Penn Treaty School LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LOCAL STATION: WHYY WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? During the summer, I had a wonderful time learning the nuances of journalism from professionals, and how a workplace operates. I learned the interesting process behind developing a story and an outline, and had a great summer due to this unique experience. |
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NAME: Ruby Barrus GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Madison High School LOCATION: Rexburg, Idaho LOCAL STATION: Idaho Public Television WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I think there are a lot of people whose stories are forgotten because they aren’t recorded. I want to help people have their stories spread and remembered. I wrote a story about my grandma for my English class. I interviewed her before I wrote it, and it was about some of the hikes she has been on. |
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NAME: Sinaiah J. Pointer GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Etiwanda High School LOCATION: Rancho Cucamonga, California LOCAL STATION: PBS SoCal WHAT STORY ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? The story that I’m most proud of would be ‘My Black History’ story. I’m most proud of that because it brought talk among the students and change. |
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NAME: Terry Jones, Jr. GRADE: 12th SCHOOL: Clay-Chalkville High School LOCATION: Pinson, Alabama LOCAL STATION: Alabama Public Television WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? Storytelling is very important to me because there are so many people and topics in the world that don’t get enough attention. I enjoy bringing light to those stories to provide representation to people and topics that are overlooked. |
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NAME: Thaïs Giraudet GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Westview High School LOCATION: San Diego, California LOCAL STATION: KPBS WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? I chose to get involved in storytelling because I can share incredible and inspiring stories with the world by using my own voice to help those who can’t. The “Moving Forward” story about race and equality is the one I am most proud of because I felt like I was actually doing something to better educate myself and those around me on the current issues happening in our society. I was especially proud of having interviewed three people at once virtually and by myself. |
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NAME: Timothy James GRADE: 12th SCHOOL: G.W. Carver High school of Engineering and Science LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LOCAL STATION: WHYY WHAT STORY ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I am most proud of the article that I wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer about taking standardized tests during a pandemic. It was the first professional writing experience that I ever had, and I was so proud of myself for being published in a newspaper. |
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NAME: Vivien Williams GRADE: 10th SCHOOL: Washington-Liberty High School LOCATION: Arlington, Virginia LOCAL STATION: WETA WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED IN STORYTELLING? Ever since I was very young, I’ve loved watching the news and staying informed. I think it’d be just the coolest thing to be the one informing others. (One day I hope) to be on the streets interviewing people and hearing their stories directly. |