By Christopher Cabrera
Brentwood High School
Student journalist Maytal Bar views her work as a way of impacting the world through fearless reporting, “whether it’s through uncovering hidden policies or informing people on what is happening in the world,” she says.
May insists on expressing the ideas she believes must be heard.
She grew up in Queens and moved to Brooklyn. An only child, she splits her time between her dad’s home in Brooklyn and Westchester, where her mother lives and where she attends Hendrick Hudson High School.
During summers, May volunteers as a counselor at the Town of Cortlandt Day Camp, supervising children of all ages. She has committed herself to “take care of all the little kids… I have first and second-grade boys.” Beyond that, she played on her school’s JV girls’ tennis and volleyball teams, which helped her build communication skills and create an outlet of expression that has carried over to journalism.
As a freshman, May initially joined her school newspaper, The Anchor, for fun with her friends. With the support of her advisor, Matthew Codner, she took on the role of editor-in-chief by the end of her freshman year. During this time, “I had to put together our entire last edition. And I had never done that before. So, I just had to figure it out,” May said.
As a sophomore, May concluded her first year as editor-in-chief with a diverse portfolio of 26 articles. Her love for comedy series, such as “Blue Mountain State,” has influenced her entertainment pieces, while her knowledge of the rights of a free press has guided her in her commentary work.
“May’s journalism is rather fearless,” Codner said. “She’s willing to take on topics that past writers have stayed away from.” While publishing an article about Project 2025 and an opinion piece about abortion, “one of the history teachers in my school had an issue with my articles and was trying to get them taken down,” May said. Through her own advocacy and her recognition on how students are free to publish their work unless they feature information that “isn’t factually correct,” she wasn’t forced to take it down.
“I think May’s biggest stream of inspiration is her knowing that the final goal is for herself,” said Ethan Crook, one of May’s closest friends since eighth grade and a peer in her chemistry class. “In the process of her working on those goals, she doesn’t care what others think, which makes her absolutely unstoppable in what she wants to do. She keeps pushing and persevering.”
Now, as an incoming junior, May is attending the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists. The program will “bring her writing and leadership to the next level,” said Codner, which will be critical as she hopes to expand her range of capabilities before entering the field after graduation.
“Over this week at Stony Brook, I expect to become a better journalist and improve my skills significantly,” May said.