WHAT DO STUDENT JOURNALISTS SAY?

Data alone cannot convey the excitement and satisfaction student journalists enjoy and the benefits they reap. Only they can!

“I attended NYC public schools K-12 (and qualified for free lunch every year.) I am passionate about the mission of empowering students with a “voice” and preparing them with the reasoning and communication skills they will need for life and work success. As a leader of a global ~$68M education/information business, I am certain that the skills that make me successful today were fostered by my earliest journalism experiences. The principles I learned from journalism programs became a key pillar in my career and personal economic advancement. Journalism programs are critical to public education and our democratic society—and important opportunities for students in underserved populations to develop the analytical and communication skills to advance socioeconomically.... Through successive promotions and higher roles leading strategy and business, I still apply principles of analyzing and synthesizing information objectively, which enables my business to deliver better results than those who opine and drive without data. I also ensure that education content is balanced and unbiased. In the past year, as I took on a leadership role at a leading global information company and the noble fields of Medical Education and Medical Practice, I revisited and applied principles of good strategy to affect some positive change. Once again, this diagnosis, policy-setting, and coherent set of actions will only be effective with unbiased analysis of the facts and clear oral and written communication, skills that I started to develop through my earliest journalism experiences.”

“Working on the school newspaper, The Murrow Network, has been a phenomenal experience for me because of the significant writing, ethics, reporting, and verification skills I learned by writing news stories related to the school body. Since I enjoy writing in different genres, writing informative articles for the newspaper allowed me to make the school aware of events happening around the school. At the same time, I'm also being informed of what is happening around the school and how I could inform other people in the school using interesting stories.”

Name: Noah Galkin
High school: Edward R. Murrow High School
School newspaper: The Murrow Network
Positions held: Music Beat and Video Editor

“Working on the school newspaper means the harnessing of my journalism skills. I came into this class without having taken the precursor course like everyone else in the class did, so I had to learn what everyone else learned in a year in a couple of weeks. I have known that I wanted to be a writer since freshman year, but in senior year, I learned how to use those skills to write a news story.”

Name: Salma Elhandaoui
High school: Edward R. Murrow High School
School newspaper: The Murrow Network
Positions held: I'm a student reporter at The Murrow Network. I cover shows, clubs, and theater-related news.

“Joining the paper in the last year of my high school life has taught me to take advantage of my opportunities earlier. I've had lots of fun and made many friends during my time on the team.”

Name: Ethan Seifer
High school: Edward R. Murrow High School
School newspaper: The Murrow Network
Positions held: Web Editor; Sports Reporter

“Taking journalism and working on the paper in high school has had a significant impact on me as a high school teacher. I am forever collecting and grading homework assignments and projects. The editing skills that I learned through journalism in high school (and in college) have proved to be immeasurably valuable. Students tell me I read and correct their assignments more thoroughly than their English teachers. *Also, in the age of digital everything, it’s pretty cool to actually be able to pick up a physical object like a newspaper and see your name on it.”

Name: Robin Igla
High school: Midwood High School
School newspaper: The Argus
Positions held: Reporter, writer, editor, 1996-1999
Current occupation: High School Teacher - Health Education
(Prior to teaching I was a temp at News12 Traffic and Weather where I reported traffic and had to write my own scripts.)

“Being able to work as a writer and editor on the Classic at THHS taught me to collaborate effectively with various news sources, Classic staff and school administrators for the purposes of producing a high-quality, reliable product on a deadline. I learned how to step up and lead, and how to stand back and allow the gifts of each person to shine in a way that made the whole greater than its parts. I also learned how to distill and communicate information clearly and effectively. These tools have served me well as a hospital social worker. In my role, I spearhead the efforts to ensure individuals have the care they need by collaborating with a multitude of professionals to arrange the best possible plan for patients’ recoveries. I communicate clearly and effectively with patients and families as well as with providers, both verbally and through effective clinical documentation. Throughout the COVID pandemic, these skills have been fundamental to my ability to create safe care plans in very challenging circumstances and to help enable our hospital to continue to care for as many patients as possible in our area and the surrounding region.”

“By investigating news stories and reporting on them to my peers and to our high school community, I not only earned the trust of my readers, I developed trust in my capabilities. Now, even as an adult, I look back fondly on those opportunities and am grateful for what I learned. For example, in 1995, I wrote a cover story when I had the opportunity to shadow then New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani. Even decades later, I see aspects of the article that are relevant today, including the quote from a Newsday reporter who talked about the adversarial relationship of the press to the government and how reporters have to work extra hard to get information as the mayor’s office was selective about what they disclosed. This sentiment was reinforced by my inclusion in the article that student reporters were asked by even the sponsor of the event to refrain from asking questions about controversial issues. I’m glad that, even as a student, I reported this limitation and included varied perspectives in covering the story. My high school journalism experience strengthened my writing, critical thinking and analytical abilities, serving as a solid foundation for my career as an attorney, legal writing instructor, and educator at SUNY Farmingdale State College today. My experience on The Classic...has also inspired my mentorship of the students I now teach. It’s my way of paying it forward.”

“Being a part of my high school paper gave me a powerful sense of being part of something bigger than myself – a staff, a team, a community – and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since! From a practical perspective I continue to build on and draw from the writing, listening, communication, research and time management skills that I honed during my time on the paper. And without a doubt, it has influenced both my respect for people’s stories and the quest for understanding “the truth” about a situation, no matter how complex.”

Name: Daniel Bloch
High school: Townsend Harris High School
School newspaper: The Classic
Positions held: Writer (2000-2001); Co-Editor-in-Chief (2001-2003)
Current occupation: Technical Advisor, International Rescue Committee

“I was a proud member of my high school newspaper. I enjoyed both the individual agency I had with reporting and the collaborative aspect of putting the paper together. The experience taught me how to work on tight deadlines, write effectively and take criticism. I’ve carried these lessons into my life post-grad as well - they are crucial to the way I work now.”

Name: Rupeshi Shah
High school: Townsend Harries High School
School newspaper: The Classic
Positions held: Staff Writer (2009-2010), News Editor (2010-2011)
Current occupation: Junior Executive @ Cinetic Media, mainly working with independent documentaries

“Reporting and editing for The Classic generated some of my fondest high school memories and friendships. Beyond that, it encouraged me to approach the world with more curiosity, digging deeper into the stories around me—big and small. Being involved in high school journalism made me a stronger writer, editor, and critical thinker, and it absolutely put me on the path to the career I have today as a podcast producer..”

“The most formative and memorable experiences from my high school years are all from my times on the school newspaper. I was involved all four years and learned so many invaluable skills. As a reporter, I had to focus on writing in a clear, concise and compelling manner as well as how to interview a source in order to solicit worthwhile sound bites. As an editor, I learned key leadership and delegation skills as I was tasked with overseeing a staff of student journalists, handing out assignments, ensuring deadlines were met, and providing feedback in a constructive manner. Additionally, in writing editorials, I learned how to find my voice on controversial topics. Beyond these tangible skills, I also met one of my best friends through my time on the newspaper - my co-editor and I remain close 20 years later. There is no way to recreate the bonds that are formed while working many long hours to put an issue to bed. While I did not pursue journalism, I leverage all of the skills in my current career as a Market Research leader at LinkedIn. I must take complex datasets and translate the findings into compelling and digestible narratives. As a people manager, I delegate assignments and have to motivate and mentor my team. I am proud to have been a student journalist and credit it with providing me with a solid foundation for my higher education and professional path.”