WRITING
In the photo above, our friendly neighborhood squirrel Walter “Pica” Cronkite perches on top of a newspaper box for the Winged Post, my pride and joy and primary outlet for my writing. Photo by Ellen Austin
Over the past four years, I have written over 150 articles for the Winged Post (our newspaper) and Harker Aquila (our news site), as well as the San Jose Mercury News and the Stanford Daily.
Here are some highlights of my work. (Hover over photos for captions and photo credits.)
THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: SAN JOSE SHOULDN’T HAVE BOOMING TECH FIRMS ALONGSIDE HOMELESS CAMPS
After studying the housing crisis and speaking with constituents as a San Jose City Hall intern, I felt that I had to speak out about the vast inequality I observed within my hometown and call for change. The Mercury News offered me a national platform.
Construction at what used to be Vallco Mall continues. Photo by Eric Fang
IN-DEPTH
‘IF THEY CAN BUILD HOUSING ON THE MOON, THEY CAN DO IT HERE TOO’: BAY AREA’S HOUSING CRISIS HITS HOME FOR UPPER SCHOOL TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND LOCAL RESIDENTS
Despite having a homeless encampment right across the street from school, Harker Journalism has subconsciously avoided covering the increasingly worrisome housing and homelessness crisis in the Bay Area. To that end, my co-editor in chief and I resolved to make this year’s Winged Post tour de force an eight-page package on how the housing crisis impacts the lives of students, teachers and other Bay Area residents. We led a team of reporters in covering the crisis from San Jose to Santa Rosa, interviewing 65 sources, writing 15,000 words and producing an eight-page package. The large amount of data, legal information and history required to tell this story posed a challenge, and we tackled this by being careful and thorough in our research, contextualization and analysis.
THE ‘MISSING MIDDLE’ IN CRISIS: RISING RENTS AND HIGH HOME PRICES MAKE BAY AREA LIVING UNSUSTAINABLE FOR TEACHERS
In Silicon Valley’s pursuit of progress, it seemingly forgets who it leaves behind. With fierce competition for Bay Area housing, middle-wage earners like teachers are often the hardest hit. For this chapter, I spoke with numerous teachers about their struggles to live in the communities they teach in; administrators about recruitment of new teachers and institutional support for current teachers; housing market experts about the factors behind the affordable housing shortage and a variety of nonprofits, realtors, loan agents and administrators about their work to address the teacher housing crisis.
‘STRUCTURALLY ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE’: HIGH HOUSING COSTS LENGTHEN COMMUTES FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND ALUMNI, IMPACTING QUALITY OF LIFE
Faced with up to three hours of commute time each day, upper school teachers, students and alumni adapt their routines, and sometimes change their housing situations, to cope with an increasingly common affliction of Bay Area life. For this chapter, I spoke with teachers whose commute times have become so long and taxing that it makes them question their ability to continue working at Harker.
‘WHO BELONGS?’: DEVELOPMENT AND DISPLACEMENT CHANGE THE FACE OF BAY AREA COMMUNITIES
With little open space left to build, development in the Bay Area walks a fine line between helping and hurting the communities around them. I spoke with industry experts and city officials about how Bay Area cities balance conflicting interests: more big businesses to grow the regional economy, more housing for the people moving in and more protection for current residents in danger of displacement. I also spoke with sources at Google and Stanford University about their expansion plans; nonprofit organizations and city officials about their work protecting communities from displacement and students and teachers who had noticed major changes in their communities.
‘AN EPIDEMIC SITUATION’: BAY AREA CITIES SEE RISE IN RATES OF HOMELESSNESS
Beneath the gleaming skyscrapers and tech billionaires that Silicon Valley is known for lies a starker version of the Bay Area, one riddled with alarming rates of homelessness. In this section, I sought to tell some of the stories of people experiencing homelessness, from East San Jose to West San Jose to Oakland to Santa Rosa. I also spoke with various organizations working to address homelessness about ways that Harker students can help the situation, and I used data and firsthand accounts to dispel common misconceptions about the nature of homelessness in the Bay Area.
Santa Clara County Public Health Department Director Dr. Sara Cody makes a live televised statement to local media outlets about the second case of COVID-19. Photo by Eric Fang
Related Stories:
BREAKING NEWS
SANTA CLARA COUNTY ANNOUNCES FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS – AS INFECTED PERSON IN ISOLATION
When I got the email from the county public health department that the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had appeared in our own county, I immediately notified my adviser and began work on a breaking news package. We live streamed the press conference, interviewed administrators and teachers and compiled photos and graphics. Within four hours of the initial press conference, we had published a comprehensive package that helped to inform our community of an immediate public health situation. The article was widely shared by Harker science teachers as a localized and reliable source of information.
Previous coverage: About a week before the first case of COVID-19 appeared in Santa Clara County, the virus already posed great concern to Harker students and parents, many of whom had recently traveled to China or had relatives there. As the virus spread around the world, panic and misinformation spread even faster on social media. We knew that with the Lunar New Year approaching, many Harker families had plans to travel to China, and we wanted to provide clear and factual information to dispel rumors and break down the epidemic situation for the school community.
I, along with every other leader in Harker Journalism, monitored news of the virus closely, using official sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, and interviewed people affected by the virus outbreak, including a Harker parent who had recently returned from Beijing, an alumnus studying in Shanghai whose semester start date had been postponed and a Chinese man living under lockdown in the center of the epidemic. When I thought to ask local pharmacies about their reactions to the outbreak, I discovered that CVS pharmacies throughout the Bay Area were sold out of face masks for the next week, indicating the rising level of panic in the local community. Over the course of a week, we published several “for the good of the nation” pieces online.
Continuing coverage: In the weeks since the breaking news article on the county’s first case of COVID-19, we kept up on covering the pandemic’s progression in a series of online and print articles. When the school canceled classes because a relative of a staff member contracted the virus in March, I helped write another breaking news article on how school activities would proceed.
POLITICAL COVERAGE
BLUE WAVE ROLLING: DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS REACH OUT TO VOTERS IN CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION
More than a dozen Democratic presidential hopefuls traveled to San Francisco for the California Democratic State Convention in June 2019. I led a team of four reporters in covering this three-day convention, interviewing four presidential candidates and photographing 14.
Read more about how we coordinated this coverage in Web.
POLITICAL COVERAGE
CAPITOL HILL: WHAT YOU MISSED
In ongoing efforts to make national news more accessible and relevant to high school students, I wrote this installment of a repeating segment called “Capitol Hill: What You Missed,” synthesizing key developments in national politics.
NEWS ON CAMPUS
SAFE AT HOME? ADMINISTRATION EMPHASIZES NEW SECURITY MEASURES AND SUPPORTIVE CAMPUS CULTURE AFTER THREATENING GRAFFITI INCIDENT DISQUIETED HARKER STUDENTS AND FACULTY
After a threatening graffiti message on campus disrupted school activities, I talked to administration in charge of security to get accurate information on the school’s safety and inform and reassure the student body in a time of distress. In this article, I broke the news of new security measures the school was taking, including installing internal security cameras and maintaining a heightened police force. I also interviewed students and teachers, who felt that the graffiti served as an unsettling sign of gun violence hitting closer and closer to home.
Related Stories:
NEWS IN THE COMMUNITY
CHANGES ON THE HORIZON: AS SONOMA COUNTY RECOVERS FROM KINCADE FIRE, BAY AREA CONSIDERS LESSONS LEARNED FROM PG&E SHUTOFFS
“Losing power is a new development in the Bay Area lifestyle. We’re in a new reality,” chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine said, following large-scale power shut-offs in the Bay Area.
In spite of three rounds of preventative blackouts by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the Kincade wildfire ignited in Sonoma County and burned for 11 days, destroying 374 structures, damaging 60 structures and forcing over 200,000 people to evacuate.
Days after the Kincade wildfire was contained, I traveled to Sonoma County to document the community’s recovery. In addition to photographing the fire’s aftermath, I got the perspectives of first responders, emergency management, superintendents, local business owners and Harker students and teachers. The article focused on changes that would affect the upper school as a result of the wildfire and recent power shutoffs, including restructuring of PG&E and improvements to emergency response in San Jose.
With this article, we intended to take a closer look at what many felt to be the “new reality” of life in the Bay Area – one where power was precarious and fires were frequent.
NEWS FEATURE IN THE COMMUNITY
LOCAL TRIBE PROTESTS SANTA CLARA COUNTY MINING OPERATION
While reporting on a protest by a local Native American tribe, I uncovered deeper tensions that have arisen from Silicon Valley’s rapid growth. The tribe’s opposition to a mine being built on their sacred land revealed a longer and more entrenched conflict involving cultural heritage, environmental protection and urban development.
To get all sides of the story, I interviewed several members of the tribe, local environmental groups, Harker students, indigenous students, a representative of the landowners proposing the mine and the planning manager of Santa Clara County, who will decide whether to proceed with the mine.
In writing the article, I realized how underrepresented Native American issues are in most news media, including many local outlets. I sought to elevate overlooked voices and tackle my own lack of prior knowledge about local indigenous groups in researching and writing this article.
NEWS IN THE COMMUNITY
SANTA CLARA COUNTY LIBRARIES CLOSE AS COUNTY WORKERS STRIKE FOR FAIR LABOR PRACTICES
As thousands of workers in the county stopped work for upwards of two weeks, I was surprised by how many students at school had no knowledge of a strike that affected every county agency and public service. To get a full and balanced story on this controversial labor dispute, I talked to union leaders, a county supervisor, and librarians and health workers on strike. I also interviewed students and librarians at my own school to get their thoughts on the role public libraries play in the community and contextualize the experiences of striking librarians.
Through this coverage, I hoped to do justice to a complex labor rights issue in the local community and increase awareness of it among the student body, helping Harker students break out of the notorious school bubble.
OBITUARY
MEMORIAL TO BE HELD FOR ALUMNUS SANDIP NIRMEL, REMEMBERED AS A PRESIDENT, TEAMMATE AND FRIEND
I knew Sandip when I was a freshman and he was a senior, and the news of his death shocked and upset me. I remember him giving a speech at my matriculation ceremony during his time as the student body president. Moreover, I remember him being the subject of one of my first interviews in freshman year. My co-editor in chief and I devoted ourselves to honoring his life by gathering memories from his teachers and friends while respecting their process of grieving. For more on this article, visit Law & Ethics.
OPINION
IT WASN’T JUST A SPORT: WRESTLING WAS A FAMILY
When the wrestling program at my school was cut, the news flew under the radar for most students. Not for me. In this article, I wrote about my experience as a Harker wrestler since seventh grade and captain of the varsity team since sophomore year. I gained a family in my coaches and teammates along the way, but new student-wrestlers at Harker would never have the same chance.
POLITICAL COVERAGE
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, CLIMATE PROTESTERS AND DNC OFFICIALS CONVENE AT SUMMER MEETING IN SAN FRANCISCO
As several hundred Democratic National Committee members descended on San Francisco this August in the last meeting before the primary, I got the perspectives of climate protesters, high schoolers and presidential candidates at the event.
POLITICAL COVERAGE
‘NOT LEFT, NOT RIGHT, FORWARD’: PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ANDREW YANG SOLICITS THE SUPPORT OF TECH WORKERS AND ASIAN AMERICANS IN THE BAY AREA
When Democratic candidate Andrew Yang held a fundraiser in the Bay Area, I interviewed him and wrote about his burgeoning and unexpected support in the presidential race, especially among tech workers and Asian Americans in the Silicon Valley. In a survey we conducted among the student body a couple months later, I found that Yang was the top choice candidate at school.
POLITICAL COVERAGE
‘DREAM BIG, FIGHT HARDER:’ ELIZABETH WARREN HAS A PLAN FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES
Before the audience had quieted its applause, Warren took the microphone and opened the town hall with her characteristic line, “I’m Elizabeth Warren, and I’m running for president because I’ve got a plan.” We reported on-site on the first Bay Area event of Warren’s campaign trail in June 2019.
SPECIAL ISSUE
CLIMATE CHANGE: ‘THE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS OF OUR TIME’
The summer of 2019 saw worsening environmental conditions across the world, as well as an upsurge in youth climate activism. For the back-to-school issue of the year, I coordinated a center spread package on climate change and activism, interviewing student environmentalists, youth organizers of the Sunrise Movement and climate scientists at University of California at Berkeley and University of California at Los Angeles.
OPINION
JULIAN ASSANGE’S ALLEGED ATTEMPT AT HACKING DEVIATES FROM ETHICAL JOURNALISTIC PRACTICE, EVEN IF DONE FOR THE GREATER GOOD
As Julian Assange faced potential extradition to the United States on alleged conspiracy counts, debates raged over what justice Assange deserved. As a student reporter, I was particularly interested in the implications Assange’s case held for the future of ethical journalism. Was Assange really a criminal deserving of imprisonment and possibly execution? Or was he an upstanding journalist who did all in his power to expose abuses of power?
OPINION
SERENA WILLIAMS SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON SEXISM, EXPOSES RACIST MEDIA
By speaking out against the rulings in her Grand Slam match, Serena Williams spoke for the countless female athletes who have been the victims of unfair penalties and prejudice. Her actions reminded me that both sexism and racism still thrive in the sports arena, dreading exposure from powerful women of color such as Williams. The racial undertones of the ensuing media coverage of the tennis match also caught my attention.
Front page of Issue 3, Volume 20 of the Winged Post. Published on Dec. 6, 2018.
LOCALIZING ISSUES
WHEN FIRE BECOMES AIR: OVER 4,000 FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED THE CAMP FIRE, CALIFORNIA’S MOST DEVASTATING WILDFIRE TO DATE
The Camp Fire wildfires last year devastated California and affected many within the school community. For this story, we talked to a faculty member whose family evacuated their home, and students and alumni facing thick smoke from the fires.
LOCALIZING ISSUES
JUDGE RULES IN FAVOR OF HARVARD IN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BATTLE
With this article on the results of a lawsuit regarding Harvard’s affirmative action policies, we took a deeper look into what the case meant for Harker students and college counselors, Harvard students who testified in the trial, local politicians and rights groups with opposing views on affirmative action.
LOCALIZING ISSUES
LOCAL PERSPECTIVES ON IMPEACHMENT: STUDENTS AND POLITICAL GROUPS DIVIDED IN PREDICTIONS OF IMPEACHMENT’S IMPACT ON PRESIDENCY
Following up a breaking news article on impeachment, we looked towards the perspectives of students and political organizations in my own community to bring the historic U.S. House vote closer to home. For more on this article, visit News Literacy.
HUMANS OF HARKER
BLAZING HIS OWN TRAIL: HENRY CUNINGHAM (12) BALANCES INDIVIDUALISM WITH CARE FOR OTHERS
One of the newspaper’s projects is to profile every senior on campus, Humans of New York-style. From writing several of these profiles every year, I have enjoyed discovering who my fellow students are beyond the surface.
EQUITY BEAT
PUERTO RICO A MONTH AFTER HURRICANE MARIA
For the Winged Post’s repeating segment on social justice and equity, I wrote about Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico, with a focus on the experience of Mariana Janer, a San Juan high school student who lived it. For more on this article, visit News Gathering.
SPORTS
HARKER FOOTBALL MAKES HISTORY
After following the football team for an entire season and reporting on every game, I felt like their historic success was a personal triumph. Here, I tell the story of their journey from being an underdog team to winning their first championship playoffs.
LIFESTYLE
10 THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE FINAL SEASON OF ‘GAME OF THRONES’
For quite a large chunk of my junior year, I sustained an insatiable obsession for both the TV and book versions of “Game of Thrones,” as did a lot of my classmates. To share this intense passion of mine, I wrote an article listing the top 10 things to look forward to in the final season of “Game of Thrones.” This turned out to be one of the most memorable and fun articles I have written.
THE STANFORD DAILY
HOUSING WITHOUT THE DRAW: CHANGES TO STANFORD’S FRESHMAN HOUSING SYSTEM
As an intern at the Stanford Daily, I got to experience a college newsroom environment and collaborate with the Daily’s news team. For my first story, I talked to Stanford students and administrators about the new first-year housing system they were rolling out that year.
BREAKING NEWS
UPPER SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION CALLS SUDDEN, MANDATORY ALL-SCHOOL MEETING AFTER STUDENTS REPORTED THREATENING GRAFFITI MESSAGE
After our head of upper school called a sudden all-school meeting over a school shooting threat, our breaking news crew immediately jumped into action. Within a few hours, we had interviewed the relevant administrators and produced an article meant to inform the community and dispel rumors. For more on this article, visit Web.