Photo credit: Cecil Schwalbe
Nayomi Garcia is a senior from Rio Rico High School in Rio Rico, AZ. She has a passion for band and even traveled all over the state with her marching band. She was able to travel to Europe this past spring break with the international club.
One of her hobbies included taking pictures of her friends. Not too long ago, she took pictures of her friends for prom and she enjoyed that experience because she got to take professional pictures of them. She loves Spanish (as a class in school) because she feels it helps her improve the way she speaks and be overall more fluent. She is proud of her Hispanic heritage and feels her small town near the border has to do a lot with it. She also loves to write which is why she was at this summer workshop. “I always knew I had to do something in writing,” she said. Along with writing, Nayomi also enjoys reading. She was inspired by books and said, “Books made me want to write.” She has really enjoyed the workshop and is now considering a career in Journalism. She hopes to be able to report for a newspaper or a magazine. In the future, she hopes to even go global. by Daniela Moreno
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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Jackie Gonzales |
copy editor, photographer, reporter
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Photo credit: Amber Soland
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Jacquelyn Gonzales has always considered herself a writer and a metiche, or a gossip -- traits perfect for a journalist. Gonzales is currently one of the twelve students in the 2017 Journalism Diversity Workshop for Arizona High School Students at the University for Arizona. Her school, which trains students for college and the future, puts an emphasis on “College, college, college! Resumes, resumes, resumes!”
She first heard about the workshop from her teacher, who implored her to apply for the program because it would look good on her resume. Gonzales had a great interest in writing, so much that she even wrote essays in her spare time, so she agreed to apply for the workshop. In the workshop, Gonzales is putting together a story about the portrayal of Latinas in the media. Gonzales was first introduced to the world of journalism through the movie “All the President's Men.” She said that the movie inspired her to be serve the public by giving them the information they need. As much as she loves journalism and writing, she is not sure if she wants to pursue journalism as a career. After watching “Criminal Minds” as a kid, Gonzales found herself inspired by the work done by the detectives. “I have an interest in journalism, obviously, but I also high-key want to be a medical examiner.” Gonzales’s goals for the future include going to college and grad school, and to become financially independent. Gonzales does not yet know what college she will go to yet, but she hopes to not have to pay for the majority of her tuition. “I want to go wherever I’m given the most money,” she said. |
by Amber Soland
Ray Harper is intelligent, energetic, fun loving, and strong. He is more capable than he might like to admit, and once he has something flowing through his mind, there’s no way he’ll let it stop.
The 17-year-old, born on August 16, 1999, attends University High School, and he will be starting his senior year in the fall. He has a passion for film and television production. especially the editing process. He made a short film about how the environment is being affected: “The Sheer Scale”. It was submitted into the, “One Planet, Many People” video contest sponsored by the Population Media Center’s Arizona Chapter. In most of his short films, he usually does voice-overs and feels a little bit more comfortable and confident when doing them than he does in normal conversations. This summer, Harper is stepping out of his comfort zone and is a reporter and Copy Chief for the High School Diversity Workshop publication “The Chronicle”. He believes that it is very important to keep knowledge of current events, and feels that LGBTQ rights are incredibly important, especially in this progressive day and age. Harper wants give people a voice and let them know that their views and identities matter. Harper wants to support and raise awareness for their community, and wrote about LGBTQ rights for The Chronicle. by Alexandra Nichols
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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Judith Hernandez |
blog editor, reporter
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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A sister, daughter, cross country runner, basketball player, yearbook editor, and the student body president at Sahuaro High School, Katelyn Sue Kubly is a girl of many titles. However, many people might not know is that Katelyn has a passion for writing.
As an incoming freshman at Sahuaro High School, Katelyn was faced with a common but also very difficult choice: choosing elective classes. “I put lots of other options but I ended up with journalism,” Katelyn shared. Despite her original disappointment, Kubly ended up loving the class and pursuing it throughout all of her four years of high school. While at the workshop Katelyn wrote about the ways the University of Arizona assured there was no leeway in the grades athletes got and the services that were to provided to ensure this. Katelyn has many plans for her future, and journalism is part of it. She plans to get her bachelor's degree in journalism and then follow her dreams of going to Law School and becoming a defense attorney. “I really like fighting for people’s rights and proving my point and I want equality and justice for everyone,” Katelyn expressed when telling why she wanted to become a defense attorney. Although she is not certain or set on any specific university Katelyn is definitely planning on going to college and following through with her plans for her future. by Elizabeth Noriega
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Daniela Moreno |
photographer, reporter
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Seventeen-year-old Daniela Moreno is attending the High School Journalism Diversity Workshop. She will be a senior this fall at Pueblo High School in Tucson, Arizona. Daniela participates in a variety of activities including swim team, track team, and National Honors Society. She is also a writer for her school’s newspaper, El Guerrero. Although she did not enjoy working on the newspaper at first, she began to like writing about events and people at her school. Her favorite article so far has been “Faculty Flashbacks.” In this article, she wrote about teachers over 40 and their high school experiences. “Writing this article really opened up my perspective,” Daniela said. “This moment made me realize I enjoy journalism.”
Participating in this week’s workshop has made Daniela expand her horizons for the future. “Now that I am seeing what journalism in the real world is like, I am enjoying it even more,” she said. Daniela loves journalism, but she never thought about pursuing it after high school. Thanks to this program, she is now more open to being a journalist. She would like to major in criminology and possibly minor in journalism. Daniela believes that what she has learned as a student reporter can help her succeed in other careers. by Nayomi Garcia
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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Alexandra Nichols |
reporter, web editor
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Quiet, but determined and extremely capable, Alexandra Nichols is an exceptionally gifted person. Born in North Carolina on September 7, 2000, she grew up with a love for music (especially hip hop and rap), acting and producing art for fun. She is an incoming junior at Red Mountain High School, and a welcome addition to this summer’s Journalism Diversity Workshop. Her experiences working with her school newspaper came as quite a nice addition. She became involved with this workshop because she felt she needed a greater level of meaningful activity during the summer, and to boost her experience in regarding the major components of the journalism process. Alexandra feels that there are very few limits to one’s creativity; and that confidence, in any field one chooses to pursue, is of the utmost importance. “You shouldn’t ever be afraid to ask questions,” said Nichols when asked about something she’s learned this week. Her story is one that explores the origins and effects of Hip Hop in today’s popular culture. She feels compelled to explore how it has become widely practiced appropriated by white people at the expense of African Americans who created it. She plans to apply what she learns at this workshop to her higher education, hoping to major in Criminal Law. She’s a truly wonderful person, and one we’re glad is with us this week.
by Ray Harper
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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Big, beautiful, light brown eyes, long dark brown hair swinging left and right down her back, and a wide enthusiastic smile conveying an eager spirit, Elizabeth Noriega lights up any room she walks into. Although she may seem timid and shy, she has a voice that refuses to be silenced. She initially never had an interest in journalism, but after transferring from Salpointe Catholic High School to Pueblo High School, she discovered a newfound passion for it. She felt journalism, “gives the public the information they need to better.” During her junior year Elizabeth worked on articles that tugged on the heartstrings of her fellow students, reporting the nitty-gritty details of the happenings around her school as well as political works.
Elizabeth spoke about a time TUSD teachers were completely sick and tired of their employers after discovering millions of dollars were being withheld from teachers. Educators were furious. Taking a stand, many teachers refused to work any time before or after school, making it hard for students to get help and for clubs to meet. Elizabeth followed the story interviewing many teachers, determined to keep her school updated on the ongoing issues affecting their student body. Approaching her senior year, she envisions herself attending a university to pursue her love of journalism or become a private investigator. Either way, the world better step aside; a burning passion to succeed, an ongoing hunger to inform, and a heart as pure as gold- watch out because she’s coming fast. by Katelyn Kubly
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Amber Soland |
managing editor, design editor, reporter
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“If Hamilton can do it, then so can I.”
These are the words of 17-year-old student Amber Soland, currently a senior attending Tucson High Magnet School. Soland was inspired by the musical Hamilton to take an interest in journalism, due to the topic’s importance being a major theme in the show. This interest has led to her joining her school’s newspaper and participating in the 2017 University of Arizona Journalism Diversity Workshop. From this workshop, she hopes to achieve a distinction between her different types of writing and to better prepare her for the real world. “I would like to find a happy medium between my own detailed extensive style of writing and short concise style of writing necessary for many journalistic prompts.” she says. In addition, she wishes to be able to teach and become a leader for students, which she will be doing as the editor-in-chief at The Cactus Chronicle, her school newspaper. Soland hopes to rank second at her school by graduation and attend a highly-ranked university. She would also like to practice her fluency in more foreign languages, traveling to their countries of origin around the world. It’s her adventurous spirit and kindness that will truly take her far in the future. by Kenzel Williams
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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Amber's snake day video was picked up by and used for an article in the Bear Essential News for Kids.
Dayana Vega |
photographer, reporter
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Photo credit: Jacquelyn Gonzales
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“I inspire myself, I’m my own inspiration” says Dayana Vega, a 17-year-old high school student from Peoria, Arizona.
She describes how practicing things that she enjoys, like reporting and broadcasting, help her motivate herself because of the potential outcomes they could bring, “Doing things motivate me and others to do more and I get inspired because of how far I’ve grown and how I will grow.” Dayana is the youngest of 3 siblings and she enjoys playing tennis, music, and her new interest and hobby: broadcasting/journalism. She enjoys being in front of the camera. “It’s a confidence builder,” and when you enjoy talking to as many people as she does, confidence is a must. Vega is highly interested in journalism and broadcasting, and she is very determined to find what her purpose is, whatever it may be. It is quite true that, with her go-getting attitude, she can, and will, reach her potential, and make the world a better place for it. by Judith Hernandez
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Kenzel Williams |
blog editor, photographer, reporter
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