FEATURE WRITING
Feature articles are more than straight news articles. They are investigative pieces that often start with the questions "Why?" and "How?" and lead to a deeper exploration of a topic. Features allow me to dive into a curious subject and share my findings with readers after extensive research and discussion with professionals.
HIDDEN NARRATIVES: INDIVIDUAL REALITIES OF STUDENT DRUG DEALING
My partner and I wrote this feature hoping to counter the common thought students who use or sell narcotics are a certain type of person. We interviewed several student dealers and told their stories, of a perfect student who sells for mental health to a kid whose environment forced him into the position. The goal was to shine a light on the multitude of people and motivations in this line of work and why there is ingrained bias against student drug dealers in our community.
GROUNDED IN NATURE
This magazine issue was set to come out around Earth Day and as such, I thought a center spread on holistic medicine and human interaction with nature would be perfect. In this Scotlight, I discussed topics of indigenous medicine, ecotherapy, and spirituality. I hoped to center everything around how the natural world is designed to help us, and we should take into account that humans as a whole have strayed too far from the Earth due to new technologies and medicines. While Western medicine has its benefits, we have yet to unlock the full potential of natural plants. One example of this is iboga, which is the plant that holds the illegal ibogaine. This psychedelic drug is naturally occurring yet misunderstood due to circumstantial deaths.
VALENTINE'S OVERCONSUMPTION TRASHES THE ENVIRONMENT
With Valentine's Day around the corner, I hoped to bring light to a hidden side of the holiday. Not only has the immense commercialization of a semi-historically based holiday caused its true meaning to be hidden under pink ribbons, but the environmental impact of the cheap pink plastic often goes unnoticed. With this feature, I hoped to call attention to the true meaning of Valentine's and how teenagers especially can prevent the initial meaning of love from getting lost in overconsumption. I interviewed a couple to see their perspective on what the holiday means in their relationship as well as what matters more to them -- material gifts or the gift of time.
DISASTER IN PARADISE: THE MAUI WILDFIRES
The devastating Maui wildfires garnered significant media attention---during the first week that is. Thousands of residents were affected by the multitude of fires that sprang up around Lahaina, Kula, and Olinda, yet I found a disturbingly low amount of attention on the long-term effects. In this two-part feature, I delved into how the fires destroyed centuries of native history, commercial livelihoods, and the future pattern of similar weather events. As the Earth trends hotter, an increase in extreme weather events isn't simply likely, it's predicted to happen. I had the immense pleasure of speaking to two Lahaina residents directly impacted by the fires and a weather specialist to thoroughly pick apart this topic to its roots.
PICKING UP THE PIECES OF LAHAINA
This is the second part of my two-part feature on the Maui wildfires. In the previous part, I discussed personal stories and the climate change aspects. In this half, I delved into how Maui plans to rebuild Lahaina, the cyclic issues that come along with it, and the resounding community support, both across the island and nationwide, for the disaster victims. Furthering the struggles with rebuilding, tourism returned to the island far too quickly for residents' liking, especially those who now have to compete with tourists for space in hotels, condos, and Airbnbs due to otherwise lack of housing.
SMASHING HOLIDAY EXPECTATIONS
An additional aspect of the journalism program at Carlmont is the Highlander, our newsmagazine. We have a section called "Scotlight" where we showcase the featured story of the issue in a visually interesting, five-page spread that ties directly to the cover. My partner and I wrote this Scotlight for the December issue about imperfect holidays and unrealistic expectations put on families for an ideal Christmas. I spoke with numerous students about their winter holidays and the effect media stereotypes had on them growing up.
EAT TWINKIES, BE HEALTHY
Weight loss, nutrition, and dieting are all widely talked about topics in today's world. However, I have found that much dieting advice on blogs and social media is focused on, 'Oh, eat these organic, healthy fruits and veggies instead of anything with carbohydrates or sugar, and you will be perfectly healthy.' As an athlete, I knew that much dieting advice that says never to touch foods like pizza, donuts, and burgers is incorrect, especially for improving biological health markers. I dug deeper into the topic and reached out to numerous professionals to understand why most people's perception of healthy versus unhealthy is skewed and what food means regarding weight loss.