Meet SRL’s 2025 Winter Academy Fellows!

By Anthony Payne

From January 2-6, 13 students will spend five days in Los Angeles, Calif. producing news stories with the SRL team for the second annual PBS News Student Reporting Labs (SRL) Winter Academy in collaboration with PBS SoCal. As fellows, students will gain experience scripting, filming, editing, and more, culminating in the production of original video news reports relating to the intersection of arts and the environment. The fellowship will conclude with an in-person screening of the projects.

“We are excited to bring this opportunity to southern California for the first time, and provide a space where young storytellers from the region can meet and produce a story with our team in just a few days,” said SRL’s Senior Director of Youth Media Programming Victor Fernandez,  “It is truly a transformative learning experience.”

The fellows will work in teams to develop their reported stories and collaborate with local mentors and SRL staff through every stage of the production process. We’re super excited to work with these young journalists and the team at PBS SoCal — stay tuned for their final stories in the new year!

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Meet the fellows!

	Name: Angela Alvarado  City: Redondo Beach, CA Bio: Angela Alvarado, a high school senior from Los Angeles, is deeply committed to creativity, community, and meaningful storytelling. In film and event production, she has organized youth programs and contributed to events that celebrate and uplift young artists. Angela finds purpose in volunteering and building inclusive spaces that support causes close to her heart. She aspires to a future in film marketing and public relations, where she can help foster connection and diverse representation in the stories we share.
	Name: Brooklyn Rudd City: Farmington, UT Bio: Brooklyn Rudd is a junior at Farmington High School in Utah. Her favorite subjects in school are video production, stage crew, and AP Literature. Outside of school, she likes to crochet and read. She is so excited to make friends and learn new things at the academy!
	Name: Ebonie Shelley City: Los Angeles, CA Bio: Ebonie Shelley attends University Charter High School in California, Los Angeles. When she’s not writing in her journal, she likes to play sports, listen to music, and watch movies with her family. Ebonie is thrilled to introduce herself to the rest of the fellows and hopes to make many connections.
	Name: Emilie Berkowitz City: San Diego CA Bio: Emilie Berkowitz is a sophomore at Canyon Crest Academy, California. She is an aspiring filmmaker who loves editing and photography. Emilie plays many instruments, including guitar, ukulele, piano, and drums. She loves meeting new people, especially if they have similar passions or complementary interests, so they can collaborate and learn from each other.
	Name: Fernando Leiva City: Van Nuys, CA Bio: Fernando Leiva is a junior at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Van Nuys, California originally born in El Salvador. Leiva is the Editor-in-Chief of The Odyssey newspaper and a writer for the Los Angeles Times High School Insider. He also co-produced a podcast episode on the effects of ChatGPT on high school education for Is This Thing On? Outside of school, Leiva enjoys reading and writing fiction, eating pupusas, and exploring the Thai restaurants of Los Angeles with his family. After high school, he hopes to explore travel around the East Coast and adopt a Shiba Inu or an orange cat. He is most excited to meet other student journalists from the southwest.
	Name: Jake Salas City: Pomona, CA Bio: Jake Salas is a junior at Northview High School in Covina, California. His favorite class at school is his video editing and journalism class. When he’s not in school, he’s running with his track teammates and spending time with his family. He’s most excited to meet and collaborate with other students and learn more about storytelling and journalism.
	Name: Maya MortonCity: Layton, UTBio: Maya Morton is a senior at Layton High School and the Davis Catalyst Center in Kaysville, Utah. Her favorite subjects are video production and art. When Maya’s not at school, she loves taking photos, videos, painting, and trying new things. She’s excited to meet people who share a love of art, cinema, and journalism, and to see the home of film in America.
	Name: Michelle Ho City: Arcadia, CA Bio: As a junior from Arcadia High School in California, Michelle Ho views her role as a student as her utmost priority. However, when she isn’t poring over the answer key of her AP Physics homework, she spends her limited free time on her favorite pastimes, like baking, tennis, and going to the gym. Joining her school newspaper in freshman year, Michelle didn’t expect to find journalism so exciting and useful. Journalism has been a wonderful experience for her so far, and she is eager to learn and collaborate with other young writers at SRL’s 2024 Winter Academy.
	Name: Nico Fischer City: San Jose, CA Bio: Nico Fischer is a student journalist from San José, California. Nico is the co-host of SRL’s On Our Minds: Election 2024 podcast. He is a youth advisor for KQED and the Chair of the Santa Clara County Youth Task Force. A former student at the Asian American Journalists Association’s JCamp, Nico has researched gentrification and the commodification of culture in Austin, Texas. He is currently writing a book on the history of activism in San José titled Beyond ‘Sal Si Puedes’: San José’s Legacy of Resistance. He is also a member of the SRL Student Advisory Team.
	Name: Ruby Kilar City: Hillsborough, CA Bio: Ruby Kilar is a junior at Lick-Wilmdering High School in San Francisco, California. In school, she loves her journalism class as well as English and history. Outside of school, she enjoys playing lacrosse with friends, volunteering locally with her mom, and taking her dogs for walks. This winter, she looks forward to growing her skills as a video journalist, getting feedback from those in the field, and collaborating with passionate peers!
	Name: Samantha Yee City: Granite Bay, CA Bio: Samantha Yee is a junior at Granite Bay High School in Granite Bay, California. Her favorite subjects in school are journalism and math. When she’s not in school, she enjoys playing golf, hanging out with friends, and watching movies. She’s super excited to connect with other students at the academy who share her passion for storytelling.
	Name: Sarah Youssef City: San Diego, CA Bio: Sarah Youssef is a senior at Westview High School in San Diego, California. She attended the 2023 Summer Academy in Boston where she helped her team produce a story on a women’s tackle football team. She was also on the 2023-24 Student Advisory Team and was the host of Run, Hide, Fight: Growing Up Under the Gun. She is excited to see the SRL staff and meet the 2024 SRL Winter Academy fellows!
	Name: Steven Andrade City: Clearfield, UT Bio:  Steven Andrade is a sophomore at Clearfield High School in Clearfield, Utah. His favorite subjects are video production and body conditioning. In his free time, Steven likes to hang out with friends, play soccer with his little brother, and call his long-distance friends. He is most excited about meeting other people who have the same interests as him and learning about storytelling.