Category: Profiles

By Shirley Jiang
East Hampton High School

Layla Gentles thrives on camera.

The 16-year-old Baldwin High School rising senior uses that to her advantage with a TikTok account devoted to the high school, called Baldwin High Talks, and a personal Instagram, which she used to promote her campaign for reelection as president of the high school’s student government. 

Layla started Baldwin High Talks after she noticed that other high schools had shade accounts, or unofficial accounts, about a school. She wanted to bring Baldwin High School into the spotlight, posting interviews, sharing students’ college commitments and information about board of education elections.

“I remember seeing shade accounts from other middle schools and high schools like Holy Trinity and it inspired me to create one for Baldwin,” Layla said. 

Her TikToks receive on average more than 9,000 views.

As for her Instagram account, @Thegentlespush, a word play on Layla’s last name, she has shared motivational quotes and information to encourage others to vote for her. And it may have just helped. She won re-election as student government president for 2026 after serving in that role last  year.

She was recommended for the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists by her advanced placement English language and composition teacher, who usually suggests that one student apply each year. 

Layla was initially hesitant, but after seeing the option to attach videos, she submitted clips of her public speaking, theater performances and social media because it “doesn’t hurt to try.” 

Moreover, Layla just loves connecting with people.

“I don’t think I have a social battery,” she said. “I’ve been complimented on how well I can talk to different types of people all at the same time. I can get everyone to connect and not even realize it because I’m just genuinely talking.” 

“I’ve been complimented on how well I can talk to different types of people all at the same time. I can get everyone to connect and not even realize it because I’m just genuinely talking.”

– Layla Gentles

Layla said she can always find the “vibe” in every room but acknowledges that not everyone is open in the first few moments of meeting. 

She recalled a quote from a calendar her mother, Sanika Gentles, gave her that stuck with her. The date was Aug. 1, 2023.

“What makes you great also f**ks you over,” Layla said with a laugh.

“Even though most of the time it’s an advantage,” she said about being outgoing, “it’s not always everyone’s cup of tea. You have to learn to turn it on and off at the right time.”

Layla’s friend Mia Smith described Layla as “very passionate when it comes to helping others, especially in our Baldwin community. She’s very intelligent and is always ready to enlighten someone on a topic that she finds interesting and worthy of being shared.” 

Layla is also an inspiration to everyone around her, Mia said. “She always uses the quote, ‘If someone tells you ‘No,’ you asked the wrong person,’” and it helped me to continue pursuing things that I do.” 

Layla loves to listen to music, go to New York City, read, debate—she’s also the head of the school’s debate panel— participate in DECA, and most of all, have genuine conversations with others. 

In the future, Layla hopes to work in marketing, public relations or the law. 

“I like hearing stories because it’s all knowledge,” she said.

By Layla Gentles
Baldwin High School

At first glance, Shirley Jiang gives off quiet overachiever – reserved, calm, definitely smart.  But spend an hour with her and you’ll realize she’s driven, funny and chaotic in the best way.

The rising senior at East Hampton High School is 17, originally from Brooklyn, and now lives in East Hampton. She joined the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists after her AP research teacher, who also runs the school paper, recommended it. “I just wanted to give it a try because journalism might be a path I’m interested in,” she said. “I want to see if it actually works out.” She says she hopes the program will help her connect with people and report truth without fluff — “just facts.”

“I just wanted to give it a try because journalism might be a path I’m interested in,” she said. “I want to see if it actually works out.”

– Shirley Jiang

Her desire to make a difference goes beyond the classroom. Shirley’s a youth organizer with ReWild Long Island’s South Fork chapter, where she helps it fight food insecurity and climate change, and promote use of native plants. “We grow produce, host events, and just try to help people,” she said. And she says it casually, like it’s no big deal. 

Shirley has played the violin since the fourth grade. She was accepted, as a freshman, into her school’s Century Club for putting in more than 100 hours of community service. She’s thinking about majoring in either environmental science or sustainable business.

Shirley’s also deeply rooted in family. Her parents own two restaurants — Fusion Express in East Hampton and Red Door Grill in Wainscott. Every Chinese New Year, they shut everything down for a huge family dinner. “My dad brings back ingredients from the city, the chefs all cook together, and he gives out extra money to staff as a thank you. It’s really one of the only nights we all sit down,” she explained. “Everyone’s running around all the time, but that’s the day we pause.” 

Her mom, Kiki Jiang, is her biggest inspiration. “She didn’t get much education, but she taught herself English and helped my dad build the businesses,” Shirley said. “She’s super independent and hardworking. She just gets stuff done.”

Even with all of her ongoing activities, Shirley has her spontaneous moments, like that scream in first period. Her friend Griffin Bechmann describes what happened.  “She thought Instagram would notify someone that she looked at their highlights. It didn’t,” he said. “But she still panicked and full-on screamed in the middle of class.”

Griffin, who described her as “thoughtful, persistent and empathetic,” added that most people don’t know how funny she is. “She’ll make you laugh,” he said, “then call you out when you need it.”

By T’Neil Gooden
Leon M Goldstein High School for the Sciences

Isabella Lenarduzzi, a Kings Park teen, is using her love for photography to branch into the field of journalism. 

The rising senior at Kings Park High School  hopes to use her new attentiveness to journalism and photography to be a photojournalist. As such, she wants to bring attention to different stories that are not popular right now.

Isabella’s interest was spiked by the moving photos by AP news photographer Julio Cortez of the George Floyd protests and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The significance of the photos during this time allowed Isabella to realize that this is something that she thought she could do as well.

His photos influenced Isabella into applying for the Robert W.  Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists. Isabella said she wants to “gain more experience and knowledge about what a career in journalism or studying journalism would look like.” Isabella is split between politics and journalism and she believes that this institute will give her “a good idea if journalism is a good fit.”

Isabella, 16, has a passion for English and reading. Isabella says, “My fifth-grade English teacher inspired me… she was the one who guided my interest in reading and to be excited about reading… she kind of shaped me into who I am today.”
Her friend Susan Hickey, 17, sees her as “smart, reserved, creative, and kind. She is willing to help and she will have her unique take on things. She can come off as unassuming, but she’s memorable… She’s passionate about so many things and so knowledgeable.” 

Isabella says, “I would listen to the NPR politics podcast leading up to the election.”  Her motivation to become a photojournalist stems from the 2016 election.

“Journalists are important because they convey everything that is happening to us,” she says. “This was what made me think of journalism as a possible career.” 

“I thought I liked to take photos of nature until recently when I realized that I actually enjoy taking portraits or candid photos of my friends.” Isabella has been exploring the realm of photography and realized that taking photos of a spontaneous nature is what brings her the most joy. Spontaneous pictures could be used in blogs to show that people should be allowing themselves to live in the moment.

Ireland is the first place that Isabella wants to go for her journalism projects.    

“Most people are not aware of the tension in Ireland right now,  and going to cover it would be cool,” she says. “I think it would be interesting to try and capture the tension that’s slowly bubbling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.”

By Jada Jackson
High School for Community Leadership

For Michelle Paszek, journalism is just one of her passions, along with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). 

At first glance, these two fields seem like quite the odd pair. Yet, Michelle has found a way to intertwine her love of writing and STEM into journalism. 

At 14, the Kellenberg Memorial High School sophomore from Hicksville has already accomplished much. Michelle said her biggest accomplishments have been having two articles published in the Kidsday section of Newsday and becoming an editor for her high school newspaper. 

These accomplishments were the product of Michelle’s early interest in writing and active imagination. Michelle’s mother, Marzena Paszek, said, “Since elementary school, Michelle enjoyed writing poems and creating her own stories.”

Michelle added, “I always had a giant imagination and loved reading as a child. I was always changing the storylines and characters in my favorite works (because why not). That led me to take creative writing camps at local colleges. I later met my English teacher, Mrs. Villani, who encouraged me to join Early Bird [the middle school’s newspaper] and later continue on to Phoenix [her high school’s newspaper]. I also wrote for Kidsday and wrote some poetry.” 

It was a logical jump to the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists.

Michelle’s goals for the week with the Greene Team were clear. “I hope to gain a better/deeper understanding of the other aspects of journalism at this program,” she said. “I would like to use the experience gained from the Greene program to help me become a better editor for my school newspaper.” 

Michelle said that she does “plan on pursuing journalism after this program. I want to continue writing for my school’s newspaper throughout high school and later tie in STEM to journalism.” 

Although she loves writing, STEM is an even bigger passion for Michelle. In fact, her dream career is “being a robotic engineer at NASA.” Her mother also sees her “working for NASA programming robots and including more artificial intelligence in our daily lives. She may double-major in engineering and journalism to combine these two. She would like to write for a technical magazine in her spare time.” 

“In the future,” her mother said, “she will improve a lot of lives with some new discoveries and application of artificial intelligence. She has a curiosity about computer science and a big potential in any STEM field.” 

By Dan Stark
Westhampton Beach High School

Prior to the pandemic, journalism wasn’t something Shian James-Harden was considering as a career. It wasn’t even one of her many interests, which include dance, law, and entrepreneurship. But after living through a year of the COVID-19 pandemic in which reporting on the disease and its political ramifications ranged from fact to totally wrong, she was inspired to investigate a career in journalism.

Writing, however, has always been one of her favorite pastimes. “When I was younger, I would go places and write about them in my journal as if I was a publisher, but I never took it seriously,” said the rising junior at Gotham Professional Arts Academy in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. 

Another interest since childhood that has propelled her toward journalism is photography. She was inspired by her father, Aziz Harden, a professional photographer, who remembered, “I would take Shian on some of my jobs where she would assist me with taking photos. I explained to her that you must tell a story when taking pictures. I believe that that was the moment Shian began her love for photojournalism.”

Like many others stuck at home during the pandemic, she watched the news frequently to stay updated. In doing that, she developed a new perspective about the news media. “It made me understand how unreliable [some] news is,” she said. “It made me think, ‘I’ve got to get reliable news.'”

During the past school year, her guidance counselor told her about the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists and recommended it as an opportunity to learn more about the field. Shian was accepted as one of the 28 students from Long Island and New York City.

She hopes the Greene Institute can help her reach several goals. One is a better understanding of the role of journalism.

“I hope to learn more about why journalism is more important,” she explained. “I also want to learn the history and development of journalism.” Shian also wants to learn more about reporting, writing and photography. She hopes to use all this in order to develop her own distinct writing voice.

Above all else, Shian hopes to use what she will learn from the program to help curb media bias. “I believe in understanding everyone’s point of view to find the truth.”

By Liliana Stella
North Shore High School

This is how Tyler Wong describes his relationship with his intended profession: “I’m passionate about journalism because it allows me to freely express my point of view.” 

The 16-year-old Brooklyn native attending Millennium Brooklyn High School is involved in many school activities, including the journalism club, creative learning lab, environmental club and the Asian-American club, which helped enhance his enjoyment and interest in K-pop groups. In particular, he likes BLACKPINK and BTS.

Tyler has also been an active member of the Millennium Brooklyn High School newspaper club over the past few years. This differs from his journalism club, which places more emphasis on the field of journalism rather than on crafting and developing work. 

Prior to the pandemic, Tyler liked “working in school because there was a circular round desk with computers.” He noted that during the pandemic he enjoyed working at his desk at home. 

As for his writing, he said, “I originally got into it because I liked to write about certain topics that I’m passionate about.”  Tyler hopes his love for writing evolves. “I would enjoy a career with print journalism because I enjoy writing,” he said, adding that journalism “can really be both moving and informative.” 

Tyler’s journalistic interests are diverse. He said he finds joy in topics involving the environment and pop music. Through his writing, Tyler would like to explore renewable energy sources, electric vehicles and climate initiatives. With his admiration for K-pop, he sees himself working at an entertainment media company.

Tyler’s interest in entertainment journalism is easily recognizable by those around him. One of Tyler’s teachers, Stephanie Feirsen, a speech-language therapist, said, “Tyler often speaks about representation (of minorities) in movies and television shows.”

Through the Robert W. Greene Institute for High School Journalists, Tyler wants to enhance his understanding of how to write news articles and learn “the ropes,” and in doing so, build a broader range of his writing.  

Tyler’s American literature teacher, Alicia Ciocca, said he is “very dedicated to improving his writing and analysis skills. He has an inquisitive mind and constantly questions the world around him. He is also always looking for ways to collaborate with others to learn and grow.”  

Tyler’s curiosity motivates him to pursue his passions and develop detailed and inspiring stories. He said that his curiosity enables him to look beyond his personal interests in his writing. He said journalism is worth pursuing because he would be  “writing useful information about something that can influence or inspire others.”

By Julia Capitelli
North Shore High School

Representation is paramount to Sophia Herrera. 

The issue is so significant for the rising junior at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset that she wants to pursue a career in broadcast sports journalism.          

The South Huntington resident already has some journalism experience, beginning when she was 12. Now 16, she has been published in her high school’s Windows Literary Magazine and helped other students write articles for their middle school newspaper, 360 News.

Her particular focus is the lack of women in sports broadcasting. Women “make up the biggest part of the population,” Sophia said, “but we have the smallest voice.” 

Sophia also is concerned about the wage gap between men and women in the field. And being Latina, she advocates for a stronger voice for minorities. 

Professional soccer star Megan Rapinoe is Sophia’s idol. “She’s kind of a motivation for everything for me,” said Sophia, who has played soccer since age three. 

According to Sophia’s mom, Loreley Villanide-Herrera, “eventually [soccer] became a passion.” 

Sophia said Rapinoe, in addition to being a two-time World Cup champion and soccer superstar, has brought women’s and LGBTQ issues to light in the sports world. “She’s not afraid to voice her own opinion,” Sophia said. “If anyone’s against her, she really isn’t going to care. She’s going to say it anyway; she’s going to stick to it.”

Rather than pursuing her passion with a network like ESPN, Sophia’s goal is to start her own production company. She understands that would require hard work and lucky breaks. “When I have an aspiration, I work to get there,” she said. “If it’s not immediately, it’s going to happen, whether people like it or not.” 

She has support from her mother, who she said works in HIV research in much of the developing world and also does work with “women’s issues, women’s empowerment, working with marginalized communities [and] LGBTQ.” 

In addition to her mother, Sophia lives with her father, Robert Herrera, and her 12-year-old brother, Gabriel. Like Villanide-Herrera, Robert Herrera, who is in book publishing, has strong political opinions but keeps an open mind. 

Sophia is primarily interested in broadcast media because “I want to be the person that people see and they know they can trust.” 

She said she hopes the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists will be an opportunity to “grasp a deeper understanding of journalism itself.” 

If Sophia becomes a sports broadcaster, she hopes to do more than give scores and analysis. She wants to have a platform to voice her opinions. “I’m a feminist,” she said. “As someone who has really strong beliefs, I really feel the need to voice them.”

She wants to ensure that underrepresented people have a place in broadcast too. “I feel like people need to have that voice.” 

By Michelle Paszek
Kellenberg Memorial High School

Jada Yahda Jackson’s writing adventure started young. 

The 17-year-old Georgia native, who moved to the Queensbridge Houses development in Queens at age two and is now a rising senior at the High School for Community Leadership in Jamaica, Queens, discovered a gift for writing in elementary school. They wrote a paragraph recap whenever they went to see a film, which their stepmother read. This was what first got them into writing.

“Writing has always been therapeutic for me,” Jada said. 

While Jada continued to write, it wasn’t until recently that they went public with their work.

Jada’s mother, Tywanda Taylor, recounted that “recently, they wrote about their feelings and fears. They use their writing to express themself, as well as their style.” These are mainly for Jada only. However, they posted their feelings about Juneteenth on Medium.

They recently started the column “Jada’s Corner” on their school website, in which they write about COVID-19 and its impact. They also post work on Medium and Instagram and take part in the New York Rat Pack Podcast to give their viewpoint on current events.

“They’ve always asked questions and paid attention to the news,” Taylor noted. “They have a lot of opinions about what’s going on in the world. If something happens in the world they write and tell me about it.”

Their first work, posted to Instagram in May 2020, was on the Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19.

“It felt scary at first,” Jada said. “Even in school assignments, I tend to get very personal. Yet when people read it and reposted it, I felt over the moon.”

Jada wishes to pursue a career as a political journalist and activist. In addition, they would like to be a freelance travel writer.

Their biggest journalism inspiration is Angela Davis, the writer and activist. “I want to write so the people most affected can understand and help create change,” Jada said. “I believe that journalism should be about getting the truth out and being accessible to everyone.”

In their free time, they listen to music, watch horror and Marvel films, and practice perfecting their goth makeup and roller skate. “It helps me feel free and nothing can touch me while I’m in a roller rink,” Jada explained. They also spend their weekends going to protests and marches.

Jada took the opportunity to attend the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists “because I wanted to truly pursue journalism before I go into college. I want to major in journalism. I feel like if I truly want to do something, why wait? And I saw this opportunity to prove to myself that I’m serious about doing this for a living. I truly look forward to the program and put my skills to the test. While in this program, I hope to meet people that have similar interests to mine and learn what being a journalist will truly be like.”

By Camila Rojas
Hempstead High School

Whether she’s creating a fantasy story or editing her school’s newspaper, writing is something that comes naturally to Ianna Banfield, who calls it “the one consistent thing I’m 100 percent sure that I want to do for the rest of my life.”

With her passion for writing, the rising junior at Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn hopes to have a future as a journalist.

“I believe that journalism could provide me with the voice I need so that I could speak out on important things. Journalism will help me explore the world around me and teach me new things. I’m always up for new experiences.”

To help accomplish this goal she is participating in the one-week Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists at Stony Brook University, where she hopes to learn more about the field of journalism and also push her boundaries as a writer.

This past year has been monumental for Ianna, as she has taken a step closer to her dream of becoming an author. One of her fiction short stories, “Suki’s Magical Journey,” was published by The New York Public Library.

“The story is about a girl who moves from the country to the city and is having a bit of trouble adjusting to changing environments,” Ianna said. It was “one of the rare moments where I actually felt genuinely proud of myself. I was also insanely excited to finally show people my writing since I normally keep it hidden, being that the stories I write are very important and sacred to me.” 

At an early age her parents introduced to her the power of reading, which has stuck with her throughout her life. “I like to read all kinds of books… the books that grasp my attention the most are fantasy and dystopian novels, and sometimes realistic fiction.” 

Ianna, 15, also enjoys art. She participated in a program with New York University where a few of her art pieces were published on its website. Many of her paintings spread the message of equality and acceptance for women.

“My art is mainly influenced by my writing, which is mainly influenced by my experiences, causes that are important to me and the people around me.” 

Ianna’s friend, Camila Pierre, described her as “energetic, intelligent and eager. She is very outgoing and loves to talk to people. In her journalism career she could use this in a positive way as she is easily able to connect with everyone she meets.”

“I would definitely focus on the writing aspect and getting to learn about different people and environments when I go into journalism,” Ianna said. With the help of the Greene Institute she wants to expand her writing skills. “I expect the week with Stony Brook to help me because the mentors will provide me with the guidance I need. They will also teach me more about journalism since I do not have much knowledge about it.”

Moriah Pettway loves writing and public speaking — two skills needed for an aspiring broadcast journalist like herself — so much that she once took a science-based advanced placement seminar because it involved lots of both.

When it comes to writing, Moriah, 17, of Baldwin, a rising senior year at Baldwin High School, said she feels it is different from other subjects because it’s an expressive outlet. “Other subjects have certain rules and guidelines that need to be followed, yet writing is something that is all yours.” 

As a young Black woman aiming to be a professional journalist, Moriah said she expects to feel added pressure to serve as a representative because she will share her image with the public. Moriah said she doesn’t feel that way now because her school is racially diverse. 

“I’m going to basically be the spokesperson who represents Black women such as myself in this particular industry and it is added pressure. But at the same time it’s a hurdle, which I know I just face in order to make a difference.”

 As motivation, Moriah turns to several role models in the journalism and writing fields who are Black females that inspire and motivate her. 

“CNN anchor Abby Phillips is truly an inspiration to me and I love her work.” Another role model Moriah has is her former English teacher. “I see that Ms. Barnes is a smart Black woman in a high leadership position in my school and it gives me hope for my own future.” 

As hobbies, Moriah plays guitar and sings. She also runs cross-country on her school’s girls track-and-field team. 

Moriah’s family loves how hard she works in school. “What I appreciate the most about Moriah’s work ethic is she consults various resources for the best outcome while not relying solely on her own intuition for success,” said her father, Corey. Moriah’s sister, Shekinah, added: “I appreciate her drive and dedication to her school work and how well spoken she is.” 

Moriah applied to the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists in part for guidance on how to become a successful journalist, but more so because the program catered to the exact thing she wanted out of writing and journalism. 

“I wanted to do this program because I had always had an interest in journalism but I never had an outlet that was specifically dedicated to journalism. So when I heard about this opportunity I knew I couldn’t give it up.”