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.”