Suffolk Reporter

Three BHS students were recognized as part of the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs "20 Under 20" for their work in producing and editing stories on important topics. All of the students were nominated for this distinction by their teacher, Dr. Sequoyah Wharton. In fact, BHS is the only high school in the country to have three nominees in total for this accolade!

Senior Mariana Arboleda was named a "20 Under 20" fellow for her work in producing a story about a cowboy camp in Arizona that helps foster children. Arboleda received a fellowship to the SRL Summer Academy there and worked diligently on the project. Thanks to her interest in media and journalism as well as her involvement in the SRL, Arboleda feels "more aware of the news stories that are around me. I know a broader concept of the news, that it is more than just what I see on TV."

She shares the recognition with two classmates who were named Honorable Mentions. First, Javier Chevalier got to visit Twitter headquarters in New York City following a story in which he discussed time management and other mental health issues facing students today. 

The senior notes that this is a personal issue for him and that as long as he "shared the stress that I was feeling, others would be more open to [understanding] how to deal with it."

Not to be outdone, Kimberley Donis worked on a story regarding the concept of Advanced Placement (AP) classes and how they are viewed by both teachers and students alike. The senior is set to also report a story on nature and the benefits of outdoor activities, such as walking. 

Donis remarked that the journalism program can help "people like me to not feel unheard and there's so many stories from family and friends that I want to be able to tell."

Congratulations to all of these students on representing Brentwood! 

Original source can be found here.