Students Stay Smart this Summer
August 28, 2009
Filed under Features, Top Stories
Teresa Mathew: Two Weeks as a Photojournalist
The first thing I was ordered to do upon receiving my assignment was to change my clothes. Apparently a sleeveless purple dress, while fine for photographing soccer stars, has no place at a Sikh Temple. On went jeans, a jacket, a headscarf, and my camera bag as I got ready not only to immerse myself in an entirely new religion but also to photograph it, conveying the cultural and spiritual significance religion has in the life of Sikhs.
I was placed in similar situations over the next two weeks during Mosaic; a journalism program sponsored by the San Jose Mercury News that trains young writers and photographers how to hone their skills for the field of journalism. Armed only with a camera and a captioning book, I shot everything from dogs in the Humane Society to the San Jose Ballet. As I had no technical experience to start with, Mosaic was a full-on crash course in the art of photography. But Mosaic taught me more than simply how to shoot things—it taught me what it really means, in this day and age, to call myself a photojournalist.
Alisha Azevedo: Becoming a Journalist
“All right, everyone ready for the news quiz?” A kindly looking man with sparkling blue eyes and a receding hairline held up a copy of the Mercury News, almost quivering with excitement. Barely awake from staying up to bond with roommates the night before, the group of twenty students seated around the Spartan Daily Newsroom table nodded and finished folding papers.
At the Mosaic High School Urban Journalism Workshop this summer, twenty students selected from high schools across the Bay Area had the challenge of putting together a newspaper in just two weeks, helped along by reporters from the Mercury News acting as editors and mentors.
The reporting was exciting, the friendships were wonderful- but for me, the best part of the experience was the quiz and discussion in the newsroom each morning. By nine o’clock, a group of unique individuals from all backgrounds and cultures had read the same publication and drawn their own conclusions about it. We would flip through each section of the paper, discussing which stories were the best written, which ones had eye-catching leads and which ones deserved to be on the front page of the paper.
The morning after Michael Jackson’s death, the paper was emblazoned with an enormous picture of the late pop star, along with a headline that proclaimed, “The King is Dead.” Immediately, the newsroom erupted into chaos. Nneka Idika, an ardent and opinionated MJ fan, contended that the cover was a fitting tribute for such a monumental figure in society. Nicky Linley, a young and bright columnist, fired back. “Hundreds are dying in Iraq each day,” he said. “Why do we give so much attention to one man dying compared to people doing more heroic things every day?” Each person at the table gave various arguments, speaking about whether a newspaper functions to sell people what they want to read, or instead is a public service whose job is to inform the public on little-known issues. After a heated discussion, Elliott, our moderator, quieted us.
“You are now reporters,” he said. “These questions are debated by the newspaper industry every day.” The room fell silent. Then, everyone started looking around, grinning at one another.
As I learned more and more each day of the Mosaic, I felt empowered and informed by the amount of knowledge I gained from reading the paper each morning. I read over each section like an archaeologist, searching for stories that tugged at heartstrings or made an impression.
And there were always, always arguments, questions about the material, debates about prioritizing one story over another. Finding what was truly newsworthy and what was worthy of the public’s scrutiny, became a journey through countless events happening worldwide each day. I felt the Iranian protesters’ courage, Mark Sanford’s scandalous affair, the first anniversary of the ban on cell phones while driving. I could see in my mind people all over the Bay Area sipping a cup of coffee with the paper spread before them, reading it on the train on the way to work, perhaps on a lunch break. I felt a strange connection to them, as though we shared the same knowledge and experiences of which we read. I realized the true value of the newspaper: to connect people everywhere to stories, stories that people can relate to themselves.
When I returned home from two weeks of Mosaic and woke up the next morning in my own room, the first thing I did was to reach for the newspaper that was waiting for me, folded and inviting on the kitchen table.
Lindsay Vong: Leaders of Tomorrow
In the early morning on August 6th, I stepped into Roble Hall of Stanford University and was instantly greeted by dozens of very enthusiastic people singing songs at the top of their lungs, dancing ridiculously and smiling at everyone who passed by. Who were these people? None other than the super-spirited CASC counselors welcoming delegates to another summer leadership conference.
CASC, or the California Association of Student Councils, is an organization dedicated to empowering young people to become adept, self-confident, compassionate leaders motivated to make a positive impact on their communities. Leaders from across the state gather together to learn everything from how to create agendas to working together to construct a device that will prevent an egg from breaking after a two-story drop. CASC strongly believes in the ripple effect, the idea that if you want to create a positive influence in the world, you must start with yourself. Your actions and behavior ripple outward and affect others, who continue a pattern of optimism and hope.
Presentation’s own ASB is fortunate to have the opportunity of attending this amazing experience every year. Accompanied by Alisha Azevedo, Arisa Resquer, JT Wozniak, and Alyssa Perez, I headed to the conference with high hopes and expectations.
Even though this was my second time going through the program, I was absolutely shocked at the impact this four-day program could make. For weeks, I’ve been on the “CASC high,” the mindset one gets after going through a program that inspires the motivation to change something. Whether in school or the community, I have the power and capability to do good in the world. And of course, I’ve had the incessant need to alternate colors when taking notes, sing camp songs and mixers and validate everyone’s statements and actions.
The beauty of this camp is that the delegates do not just learn about how to lead a group. It instills values and self-confidence that inspire me to become a better and more humble person, open to change and diversity in the world. There were many intense conversations that brought up sensitive topics. We learned to be accepting and appreciative of our lives and created a strong bond with each other as well as with the other leaders. At the banquet and under-the-stars dance on the last night, everyone showed off their best dance moves and completely enjoyed themselves. By the time we left, I felt like I had known these new people for my entire life.
Hopefully this “CASC high” will last a long time. Don’t be afraid if you see me singing “Hey Burrito” on my way to class!
Kristina Ngo: My Summer School Experience at Bellarmine
My definition of summer is the time in which a student is able to sleep in, not worry about due dates for research papers and most importantly, take the time to breathe and relax. I originally wished to spend my summer that way this year, but I had to bring myself to meet my “summer confinement,” as I called it. For six weeks, I spent my days at Bellarmine College Preparatory, where I took SAT math preparation and biology. Overall, the classes were semi-interesting. I came into my SAT math class hoping to learn techniques to efficiently earn a high score on the SAT. I believe that if I had not taken the class, my knowledge for what was needed on the SAT would not have grown. I found biology very interesting because I was familiar with more people. Taking the biology class was worth my time and effort because I made up for my grade, which I can proudly put on my transcript. Waking up early for summer school taught me how to sacrifice my wants and work for my needs.
The BUILD Program
The ring of the bell on the last day of school means freedom. But not for everyone. A special select few of about one hundred students are members of Bellarmine’s BUILD (Bellarmine United In Learning and Diversity) program, an afterschool program created to assist low income families with tutoring at no cost. Because they come from Spanish-dominated households, the focus of the program was to increase their writing and English abilities.
Christina Vu
I, along with junior Natalie Audello and sophomore Melissa Portillo, worked with four eighth- grade girls. In the beginning, the girls were quiet and it was difficult to engage their interest and participation. Over time, however, we became much closer. By playing active team-building exercises, such as the Human Knot and Capture the Flag, we learned to work together as one.
After my summer with BUILD, I am proud to say that the minor awkwardness and indifference at the beginning of the program transformed into laughs, good times and new friendships. I was able to forge new bonds, share my knowledge, and learn how to cope with tough situations.
One day during a conversation, our girls opened up to us about their plans and hopes for the future. Words such as “Princeton” and “Harvard” sprang up. It comforted me to know that people, no matter how young, have such ambitious goals. Although they are only thirteen, they already have big hopes. But, whoever said you were too young to dream? The question is how and when you make your dreams a reality.
Angelia Tran
When I signed my name, Angelia Tran, to participate in the B.U.I.L.D program at Bellarmine, I had completely forgotten what it was like to be thirteen…and in summer school. My naïveté nearly cost me as I tried to barrage my two students, Maria Sanchez and DiosCelina Lopez, with analogies, prefixes and suffixes, and essay outlines. After several difficult lessons, I was finally able to bond with Maria and DiosCelina, not through academics, but through being myself – a seventeen-year-old high school senior on summer break.
While the essay outline lessons may have not stayed with my students, I ended this summer with friendships more valuable than academics. I learned to appreciate my students’ drive in life. Whether it was DiosCelina or Maria, each had the determination and ability to obtain whatever she wished for – from evading those dreaded analogies to completing a well-written five-paragraph essay outline in 30 minutes for an early dismissal. My ability as a B.U.I.L.D mentor to encourage and support my mentees’ future goals made spending my summer as part of this program memorable and worthwhile. I would gladly do it again next year and pursue similar programs in the future.
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