Present college students on the workforce of the journalism publication at Queens Preparatory Academy, whereas they have been visiting Columbia College. They’re outdoors the campus library.
Photograph by Ranaa Hassan, eleventh grader at Queens Preparatory Academy
Jewel Robinson, a local of Guyana, has been a trainer at Queens Preparatory Academy (QPA) since September 2011, at a time when the varsity didn’t have a journalism program.
She obtained her Associates of Arts (A.A) diploma in Promoting, Advertising and Communications on the Vogue Institute of Know-how. Afterwards, she attended St. John’s College, the place she began her Bachelors of Arts (B.A) diploma in Communication Arts, earlier than switching to English.
Robinson then went on to get her twin levels for educating English (seventh -Twelfth grade) and English as a Second Language (ESL).
She presently teaches Journalism and English at QPA. “For me, journalism solidifies my educating. It’s exposing college students to information gathering and reporting, educating them to talk reality to energy,” she stated.
The journalism program at QPA began within the 2018-2019 college yr. That summer time, the principal of the varsity on the time retired. Robinson determined to design the curriculum for journalism to be supplied as an elective in this system on the college.
“I got here up with one thing that will work for us,” she added, deciding to take a look at it from a social justice perspective. “I felt it was one thing college students of coloration wanted.” She would have items within the curriculum centered on matters of historical past, sociology, and legal justice.
As well as, as a result of her college students have been of a distinct demographic, Robinson stated it was important for them to grasp how their story blends into issues happening within the nation. The elective continued to be supplied on the college, till the 2021-2022 college yr, which was the primary yr of its present information publication.
Robinson credit the expansion of this system to Press Go NYC, based by Lara Rice Bergen. The nonprofit supplies public colleges with sources wanted to start out and maintain pupil journalism applications. Robinson sees Press Go NYC as an exquisite technique to assist the journalism business.
A couple of former and present college students of Robinson shared their expertise with journalism there and the way it has helped them academically. Most of her college students obtained concerned in journalism at QPA beginning in tenth grade.
Former QPA pupil journalist Yvens Cantave, who’s now a pupil at Baruch Faculty, shared how enrolling in a journalism course in his junior yr proved to be a useful studying expertise.
“This instructional expertise contributed to the advance of my writing expertise, one thing that will later show to be useful in numerous points of my educational life. All through the period of the course, I had the chance to write down quite a few articles on the theme of social justice. Within the strategy of researching social justice points, notably matters like homelessness, expanded my understanding to the varied challenges society faces. I gained insights into the influence of those challenges, particularly on folks of coloration and people from low-income neighborhoods,” he said.
Nicole Cunanan, who transferred to a different college in June 2023, shared the same expertise with the publication.
“It taught me the best way to analysis and use the knowledge to create articles that might both persuade or encourage others. The interviews helped me to be extra social and open, particularly once I transferred colleges,” she stated. “Journalism additionally made me extra conscious of social issues and occasions and made me really feel extra linked with the neighborhood.”
Winaldo Walker was a pupil, initially from Jamaica. Whereas within the membership, he was in a position to push himself past his consolation zone, which developed his capabilities as an creator. He’s majoring in pc engineering at Vaughn Faculty.
“My time within the journalism membership deepened my understanding of social justice and different points confronted by the American public. Exploring tales from a various perspective honed my empathy and demanding considering, whereas fostering private development,” he stated.
Present pupil Chidindu Onyekatu moved to New York from Nigeria in the summertime of 2022, when she was getting ready to start out eleventh grade at QPA. She sees her expertise up to now with journalism publication as very instructional.
“Being scouted by my trainer Mrs. Robinson to hitch the journalism workforce has helped me domesticate my social expertise, writing capacity and my vocabulary to better ranges. This chance gave me the luxurious of visiting thrilling locations like Columbia College. It additionally taught me the significance of media protection and the function of a journalist in operating a democracy,” she said.
Ranaa Hassan, presently a junior at QPA, is in her second yr on the journalism publication workforce. Being a part of journalism has helped her develop her communication expertise, which helps with interviewing folks.
“It has additionally helped me develop my writing expertise as English is my second language. Moreover, I used to not be assured in my English talking and writing. However due to journalism, I obtained to expertise speaking with others and deciphering that in my articles,” she added.
Moreover, Robinson believes journalism additionally helps college students who aren’t the best academically. “They’ll study and develop, and it may possibly additionally assist them enhance their writing,” she continued. That is one thing she would like to see extra of in colleges.
She added that by means of journalism, conducting interviews will help college students enhance their self-confidence, whereas additionally studying concerning the world. “It’s not nearly writing, but additionally the follow-through,” she continued.
“As lecturers of coloration, we have to empower and educate our college students,” she said. For Robinson, it is very important make them conscious of issues happening on the earth, whereas additionally guaranteeing to not offend anybody, and journalism helps to do exactly that.
To assist Robinson and her college students, these can learn the present college students’ work right here: https://qpalit.com/. These can study extra concerning the work of Press Go NYC right here: https://www.presspassnyc.org/.
