The Task: According to the Society of Professional Journalists, it is the duty of journalists to "give voice to the voiceless." But, for this issue of the Red & Black, I wanted to do even more; I wanted to put faces on the faceless victims of Islamophobia, and make our audience realize that the same people they call "terrorists" and "killers" are normal students at our school. The Process: I've done a lot of candid photography for the Red & Black over the years, but this was the first time I've ever attempted posed portraits. Armed with only a sheet of construction paper, one softbox and my Nikon D5100, I set out to capture portraits that highlight the gravity of Islamophobia. Though I initially planned to write on the mirror in the front page photo, the effect was not dramatic enough, so I added the words in Photoshop CC. I argued with my adviser and co-editor-in-chief -- both of whom wanted the words to cover Megahed's face -- but I opted to leave his face exposed to keep the "human-ness" of the photo and show his expression. Equipment & Programs Used: Nikon D5100, one softbox, Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe InDesign CC […]
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I’ve always favored feature stories over news, and despite three years on staff, I’d never written a hard news story before this one. I’m pleased with the finished story; it thoroughly covers a topic that is relevant to our audience and features prominent school authorities to localize a statewide story. If you can’t read the story on the left, it is posted on HHSToday as “FS-Nay.” This story was published in the Oct. 2015 issue of the Red & Black and on hhstoday.com.
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This spread can be viewed as a PDF below my reflection, and the story can be read on HHSToday (here). There are certain stories that have to be written every year: homecoming, prom, graduation. For the back-to-school issue of the Red & Black, it’s always new faculty. And every year since 2013, I’ve been the one stuck with the torturous task of hunting down and profiling 20 new teachers during the last week of summer. This time, I wanted to do something different. In 2015 more than half of Hillsborough’s administrators were new to the school, including the principal, Gary Brady. In addition, questions like “Who is the new principal?” and “What’s he like?” had been floating around since the news that our previous principal — a principal with whom many students were disgruntled — was leaving. This centerspread was published in the Aug. 2015 issue of the Red & Black. The story was also published on hhstoday.com.
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He still remembers how scared, confused and betrayed he felt that day. He remembers the gunfire and the bombs in his hometown, the people running, seeking places to hide, and the packed concrete school building, where he, his parents and five of his eight siblings hid, panicking because his eldest sister was nowhere to be found. The instant the southern government surrendered, the local militia, the supposed protectors of the city, began helping the North, and the Southern military members frantically shed their uniforms, afraid of being caught by the communists. Later that afternoon, the tanks arrived with Viet Cong soldiers celebrating their victory, proudly bearing their red flag with its yellow star. My dad was eleven years old the day Saigon fell … The full version of this story is posted on HHSToday as “Forty years.” Of all the columns I’ve written, this is my personal favorite. My family and my cultural heritage are such important pieces of who I am, and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to see a story about them published. I wrote this column at midnight on the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. Just a few hours prior, I’d asked my dad […]
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Don’t touch her. That girl walking down the hallway is minding her own business. She’s not asking for a catcall or a stranger’s arm slung around her shoulders. And she’s certainly not asking to be slapped on the butt, no matter how she dresses or the way she walks … The full version of this story is posted on HHSToday as “Hands off.” Unfortunately, the motivation to write this column came from a personal experience. After an incident wherein I was sexually harassed in the stairwell at Hillsborough, I reported the incident to my guidance counselor, who reported the incident to the principal. My parents called the principal later that week, but they received mere assurances that Hillsborough is a safe school and apologies because there was nothing more he could do about students like the ones in the stairwell. Because administration would do nothing to prevent the incident from happening to someone else, I decided to speak up the best way I knew how: with a keyboard and an issue of the Red & Black. This story was published in the Feb. 2015 issue of the Red & Black and on hhstoday.com.
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This spread can be viewed as a PDF, and the story can be read on HHSToday (here). This centerspread was published in the Dec. 2014 issue of the Red & Black. The story was also published on hhstoday.com.
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