For Yasmin Bardales, it’s the who in a story that catches her interest and imagination. Certainly there is a place for what, when, where, why and how, but it’s the individual who sparks her attention.
“I enjoy talking to people and getting to know their story,” she said, “and I think writing a piece about them is a meaningful way to honor them and their life experiences.”
A rising senior at Hempstead High School, Yasmin, 17, said she was interested in attending the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists because her career aspiration is to become a journalist. Once she graduates with a journalism degree, she said she hopes to get a job where she can go out and interview people.
She said being organized is important for all her projects. Occasionally people think that she has no time to help out with activities, Yasmin said, but the secret about being organized is that “I am always available to do certain tasks.”
A high school friend, Keiry Gonzalez, sees her organization and flexibility as a plus. “She will go as far as needed to not let someone she cares about or herself down,” Keiry said.
In her spare time, Yasmin, the youngest of five siblings, said she is into true-crime videos and shows where the focus is on individuals and their motives. She also enjoys commentary videos on topics that interest her, such as books and watching gameplay on YouTube. She said she finds it interesting to see the players’ comments and watch their struggle to solve a puzzle in games like Minecraft and the Resident Evil horror series.
About her leisure activities, Yasmin said, “I do enjoy my personal space, but that won’t stop me from interacting with others when the time calls for it.”
Yasmin said of her hometown, “Hempstead feels very familiar. It feels like everyone is interconnected in some way.”
“I do believe in seizing any opportunities accessible to you because I believe that to achieve anything in life, one needs to be audacious enough to take advantage of their circumstances,” she said.
Although often described as quiet and reserved, rising Northport High School senior Heily Sandoval has found her voice through journalism.
By reporting on politics, public health and other major current events, she hopes to inform others and tell stories that matter.
Heily, from East Northport, is attending the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists to expand her knowledge of reporting and “learn what it takes to become a successful journalist.” While she has already written articles for her school’s newspaper club, she hopes the program will give her a realistic look at the profession and the challenges journalists face everyday.
Her passion for journalism began years ago while spending time at her grandmother Aracely Sandoval’s house.
“My grandma has a collection of newspapers dating back from the 1980s and early 2000s,” Heily said. The newspapers sparked her curiosity about the stories. Her grandmother explained the importance of journalism, sharing words that have stayed with Heily ever since. “The important work that journalists accomplish is what gives a voice to those who have none,” her grandmother told her.
Those words inspired Heily to pursue journalism and eventually write stories that inform others. She has covered topics including dangerous online challenges facing teenagers, the spread of bird flu on Long Island and the possibility of an ICE detention center coming to Long Island. Through her reporting, she hopes readers become more informed while also learning to recognize bias in the news.
Although she enjoys covering a variety of topics, Heily hopes to one day report on American politics. “I’d like to show others my unbiased work of either the achievements or new policies that our government makes,” she said.
Besides journalism, Heily enjoys reading and riding her bike around her neighborhood. Whether she is reading To Kill a Mockingbird or spending time outside, she values activities that help her relax.
Heily has faced personal challenges. At the beginning of ninth grade, she said “anxiety made everyday activities, including eating meals and talking about my interests, difficult.” Through therapy, she learned techniques to manage those fears and gradually regained the confidence to continue pursuing her goals.
Her older cousin, Heidi Sandoval, said Heily’s determination stands out even when she doubts herself. “She may come off as shy at first, but [she] has shown great courage to overcome these challenges,” Heidi said. “Heily pushes herself to do things out of her comfort zone, and it makes me and others proud of her and her abilities.”
Today, Heily said the encouragement she receives from her family and teachers motivates her to keep striving towards her goals.
“The fact that many people, whether it’s my teachers or my family members, are rooting for me gives me reasons to complete my goals, apply myself to new things and do more than what’s assigned of me because there are many people who think highly of me and want to see me succeed in the future,” she said.
At the Greene program, Heily hopes to strengthen her reporting skills and prepare for a future covering American politics.
“Since American politics can become polarized and conflicting,” she said, “I’d like to tackle these conflicts head on and strengthen my abilities to overcome the difficulties that come with writing about American politics.”
By Gregory Valestin Brooklyn Technical High School
A year ago Myles Darby had no interest in journalism. Then that interest was sparked for the 17-year-old junior last fall while playing football at Baldwin Senior High School.
There was a new coach for his team who asked the players about themselves. When it was Myles’s turn, he stated his interests included film and photography. “I’ve always just loved movies,” Myles explained. “Since I was a kid, I’ve always looked deeper into movies and how they were shot.”
The coach encouraged Myles to connect with a person he knew, Fahiem Jenkins, who shared the same interest in film.Jenkins “told me about this club called YCLC studios,” Myles said. “Basically it’s the school’s video/journalism club that keeps everyone up to date on what is going on in the school.”
As Myles dips his toes into journalism and filmmaking, his family has been with him every step of the way. He lives with his father Tremaine Darby, mother Tiffany and sister Zora Darby. His mother has been encouraging him to do his best at what he’s working on and gives him feedback.
“I believe this [journalism] will serve him well as he develops his voice,” Tiffany Darby said. “He’s creative at heart and connected to humanity, justice and nature in a very meaningful way.”
Outside of journalism and film, Myles enjoys listening to music and playing video games, which play a role in his journalism. “I think these hobbies help me stay creative and give me new ideas for stories and videos I want to create,” he said.
As a way to dive deeper into his new passion, Myles applied to the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists.
“I want to grow my own portfolio,” he said. “So when maybe a college or a job or an internship asks me, ‘hey, what have you done?’ I can show them some things.”
Myles said his main career goals are to document history and, later on, to introduce people to the field.
He said he believes his natural strengths, both socially and as a writer, give him a solid foundation in journalism. He describes himself as outgoing and comfortable approaching people, traits that he feels are crucial for effective interviewing. “I’m not too shy. I’m not afraid to talk to anybody,” he said.
That mix of communication skills and outgoing curiosity is what he hopes will set him apart as he continues to grow in the field, pushing him to seek out new stories and document current events.
“It’s especially important now to document history as somebody who loves history,” Myles said. “And the more people we have doing that, the better.”
For Gregory Valestin, journalism is more than putting words onto a page. It’s about discovering the experiences, struggles and perspectives of people who might otherwise go unnoticed.
“I really want to uncover some stories from other countries that people here may want to know,” Gregory said.
The 15-year-old from Jamaica, Queens, has spent his life surrounded by different communities and cultures, experiences that shaped his curiosity about the world. Growing up in Parkway Village, a residential neighborhood near Flushing, Gregory has developed a strong connection to the area he calls home.
“I know this area like the back of my hand,” he said. “Especially the area north of it in Flushing, because I jog there a lot.”
Gregory is a sophomore at Brooklyn Technical High School, where he has continued to develop his interest in journalism and storytelling.
He is one of four children raised by his mother, Michelle Rodriguez.
“Gregory has always been a very curious person,” Rodriguez said. “He asks a lot of questions, and when he becomes interested in something, he really wants to understand it. I think that curiosity is one of the things that makes him a good storyteller because he genuinely wants to know about people and their experiences.”
His passion for journalism grew from watching documentaries about communities around the world and seeing how storytelling could introduce audiences to places and experiences they may never encounter themselves. For Gregory, journalism became a way to explore those stories firsthand.
While he describes himself as someone who is both shy and outgoing, depending on the situation, Gregory believes one of his biggest strengths is his ability to connect with others.
He also wants people to look beyond assumptions about him. As someone who is autistic, he believes many people misunderstand what that means.
“I feel like when people hear that I’m autistic, maybe they think I’m really shy or something,” he said. “That was how it was a couple years ago, but it’s not anymore now. I’m pretty talkative.”
One moment that helped shape Gregory’s personality happened when he was younger. During a Cub Scout activity in 2018, Gregory had an accident that left him injured. While the experience was painful, it changed the way he viewed the world.
“That pain was a wake-up call in my head that other people can feel this pain,” Gregory said. “That was when I realized I got to really be nice to people.”
Although he was only seven years old at the time, Gregory said that experience helped him become the more compassionate person he is today.
That same desire to understand others has followed him into journalism. Last year, Gregory joined his school newspaper, where he learned that reporting is not always predictable. One of his first articles focused on the possibility of changes to mayoral control over New York City schools. However, before he could finish his reporting, the situation changed.
“I was mad, bro. I had to go back to the drawing board,” Gregory said.
Instead of seeing the setback as a failure, Gregory used it as a learning experience that taught him the importance of choosing stories carefully and finding topics that will remain meaningful over time.
Looking ahead, Gregory hopes to build a career as an independent journalist, creating videos and articles that allow him to travel and share stories from different places.
“My biggest goal right now is to make a living as an independent journalist,” he said. “Either as an independent journalist on YouTube, and if that doesn’t work out, maybe like a freelance journalist.”
Through the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists, Gregory hopes to continue improving his skills and developing as a storyteller.
“I hope to get a beginner-level understanding of the process of writing an article, interviewing, picking topics, and how to structure an article,” he said.
For Gregory, the future of journalism is not just about reporting what happens. It is about finding the human stories behind those events.
Whether he is interviewing people on the street, creating videos, or writing articles, Gregory hopes to continue doing what first inspired him: helping people see the world from a different perspective.
“I want to tell stories that people may not have heard before and help people understand experiences and perspectives that they might not otherwise know about,” he said.
Today I got to experience being both an anchor and a reporter, and it immediately made me want to do more. For the first time, I got a taste of the hands-on work I’ve been eager to do, and that is a crucial part of my dream career. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be in front of the camera delivering the news. But I also worried about speaking on camera, reading my lines, and asking people questions.
When I sat at the anchor desk, I stood tall, smiled at the camera, and confidently read from the teleprompter. I focused on speaking clearly and projecting my voice like the reporters I watch on the news.
Later that day, I practiced my reporting skills at the Greene team’s press conference with researcher Tim Glotch. I asked, “What role do universities like Stony Brook play in NASA’s exploration efforts?” He explained that universities apply for grants from NASA to conduct research that supports its missions. I was then encouraged to ask a follow-up question: “Is the current political climate making it harder to fund significant research?” He shared that NASA’s budget cuts have had negative effects on research funding and the agency’s ability to support important scientific work. I was really happy to be able to ask questions that mattered to me and receive honest, thoughtful answers from someone directly involved in the research. Before speaking, I kept rehearsing my questions in my head, but once I started talking, everything flowed naturally.
This experience confirmed my strong interest in journalism and strengthened my desire to pursue it as a career.
Today started a bit later than normal due to the late night last night. I got up around 7:30 and met everybody downstairs at 8:15. From here we headed to breakfast and then to the newsroom for a start to our on air reporting.
Me at the news studio. Photo by Noah Eichenholtz
Today we all got to take turns being on air either reporting, doing the weather, or anchoring. I was able to be an anchor. However, I was not a huge fan of being in front of the camera. I much preferred taking a few steps back and running the camera.
After being on air we headed over to lunch for a quick break before meeting Journalism Professor Howard Schneider, who talked about how to know to trust a news source and be a good news consumer.
We then took a short moment to review our information on Planetary Scientist Tim Glotch and his work before the press conference.
During the press conference, while the rest of my group was asking questions, I was focused on taking photos from as many different angles as I could think of. This led to lots of interesting shots that will be in our final story.
Parker and me at the bench. Photo by Noah Eichenholtz
Post press conference, we all worked more on our final projects. We finally wrapped up the day with dinner and then ended in our dorms.
Today was very interesting, and meeting Tim was for sure a highlight of my week!
Every student has a busy schedule, but Kayci Guardado is exceptionally busy with her athletic and journalism journey.
Guardado, a rising junior at Central Islip High School, lives with her mother, father and older sister. Her other older siblings have moved out.
With a passion for school sports, Kayci participates in cross country, spring track and winter wrestling.
The achievement she is most proud of is when she surpassed her old best time of seven minutes and six seconds in the 1,500-meter run. “I finally was able to break my personal record with six minutes and 47 seconds, even though I broke both ankles this year,” she said.
Besides sports, Kayci is in the newspaper club, and is a member of the computer science honor society.
Her friend Katheryne Guzman Alvarez describes Kayci as passionate about anything she gets into, and as “a smart and shy person.”
“Once someone gets to know her and she starts to feel comfortable around them, she shows her personality and she is a great person to be around,” Katheryne said.
Kayci is a risk-taker, taking on challenges no matter how much of a struggle they could be for her. She described one of them: joining the male-dominated wrestling team in eighth grade without knowing much about wrestling. “I still took that risk of being one of the only girls that joined wrestling and [are] trying it out.”
Kayci describes herself as an ardent feminist, having attended programs with Planned Parenthood about anti-abortion laws being passed.
She has also found a passion for journalism, beginning with her computer journalism class and then joining the newspaper club. “I’m like the one that has posted the most on our newspaper app with maybe like ten articles,” she said.
“My teacher [Rahana Schmalacker] told me my papers were good,” Kayci said. “She was definitely one of my motivations to keep writing.”
Schmalacker introduced her to the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists.
“I honestly don’t know if I want to pursue physical therapy, computer science-related or media careers, but I hope I can figure it out through this program,” Kayci said. “I feel like this will give me a taste of what journalism is really like.”
On the second to last full day of the Greene Institute, I did a mock TV news anchor segment (that I forgot to take pictures for) with Angie, one of my group-mates. We (the Greene Team) went 2 by 2 with anchoring duties and were able to see how live TV news works behind the scenes.
That was a cool experience. But what we did after that was exceptionally cool. The entire Greene Team did an interview on Tim Glotch, a professor and geologist at Stony Brook who also works for NASA on their Artemis project. That project includes the planned mission to get people back on the moon and to build a whole base there as well.
A picture I took of the interview with Tim Glotch.
My group also interviewed Lorraine Woodward, the founder of Becoming rentABLE, a website that lists accessible short term rentals for people with disabilities. We talked with her on how the website works and her own ultra-accessible rental homes.
All in all, it was a unique day here at Stony Brook. This internship’s gone so fast, which is sad because I’m really enjoying it and what it’s giving me.
Today was filled with writing emails, researching, and things that make me hungry and sleepy. It feels like I’m back in AP Seminar, researching the most random things and then trying to make them sound like they sense.
I think journalism is something I’d pursue as a career; I don’t like being on camera, though. I’d most likely be the one recording. I’m a big photography fan.
I enjoyed messing with professional cameras. I’m quite excited to buy one myself when I do get a job.
One thing I overly enjoyed was the mac and cheese. It was a life-changing, adrenaline-pumping, divine substance that made me tear up because it was totally just so amazing.
I’m excited for the Ducks game and the news thing going on, but I’m most excited for the photography that could come up.
Today started with a later start then I would have liked. I had planned to be up at 6. But, due to the bed and the environment, I couldn’t fall asleep well enough to stay asleep. Today consisted of lectures filled with useful information, but it was mostly uneventful. Going out and taking photos and videos was a highlight for me. Heading back, it seemed to be a short day when I thought back on it.
