Personal Narrative
Involvement in The Pinion
In my ninth grade year, I registered in Newswriting in the height of the pandemic with no social interaction with the other students. Learning the basics of journalism on a video conferencing platform was difficult for me. I felt isolated and lacked the motivation to grasp the news writing concepts.
I then encountered the history of McKinley High School's century-old newspaper and found it fascinating how the student reporters documented the events of their time. I began to understand the relevance and implemented journalism strategies and began to document the history of my generation. It then became a challenge of problem-solving how to conduct interviews during hybrid learning and I found different ways to get people to talk in a way that was comfortable to them. Because I loved to talk to people, too much time was spent interview too many people and l had to learn how to intentionally select sources to develop big, impactful stories to inform the reader.
I was mesmerized by the documentation of the war efforts of the McKinley High School student body and made connections to the alumni who sacrificed their lives to fight for their country overseas despite discrimination and being declared enemy aliens. I have interviewed Nisei veterans, second generation Japanese Americans and was a part of the Nisei project that broadened my journalism experiences even further beyond the classroom.
I am privileged to have interviewed Mr. Jack Nakamura, Dr.Takashi Manago, 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, Mr. Flint Yonashiro and Mr. Roy Fujii, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion and to have nominated Mr. Norman Hashisaka, MIS, to be inducted to McKinley's Hall of Honor. It was an honor to reach out to the legislature at the state and national level to give these veterans the further recognition they deserve.
I advocated for HB 1848 to protect high school and university students' First Amendment rights in Hawaii in 2022. Unfortunately, at the signing of the bill with Governor David Ige, the legislators, my adviser, and my peers, which took place in our school auditorium, I contracted Covid-19 and missed the official celebration.
For two years, as the editor-in-chief, I demonstrated commitment to produce a hard copy paper every quarter. This sometimes involved working through the night, then attending classes the very next day.
Proudest Moments
My most memorable and humbling experience in high school was nominating Mr. Norman Yukio Hashisaka, class of 1943, to the Hall of Honor this school year. I had planned to spend just an hour interviewing him since he and his wife are 98 years old and 95 years old respectively, however, due to unforeseen circumstances, and since he was so enthusiastic and passionate to share his experiences with me and my family, which lasted six hour.
The process to nominate him was compelling to me since I got first-hand experience to learn about his war efforts when he was a McKinley student and his contributions to the Military Intelligence Service, counter intelligence, translating intercepted information, and interrogation of prisoners, which was kept secret for more than 30 years and finally made available to the public in 1972 under the Freedom of Information Act.
I was relieved I was able to schedule an in-person interview with Mr. Hashisaka because interviewing centenarians has its issues. Many veterans have hearing impairment and I have to articulate clearly to have them understand me. Fortunately, with the recording of the interview, I am able repeatedly review to decipher the what the veteran stated. The following weeks after the interview, I transcribed the recordings and addressed the prompts on the nomination form. I was thrilled to receive news that he was selected to be this year’s Hall of Honor inductee.
Shaping my Future
My journalism journey has impacted and shaped my future in many ways. For one, I learned how to communicate by omitting non words such as ums and huhs and to not repeat my questions. I always felt nervous. I find that interviews were difficult for me.
However, with the journalism strategies, I am now able to go up to someone and conduct the interview with confidence. I am now able to connect with the interviewee with fluidity. I am able to interview without stumbling. I've created a network with other journalists from other schools and states when I attended two journalism conferences during the summer of my junior year. I introduced myself to dignitaries, such as our former and present governors and the representative and senators, sharing that I am a reporter for The Pinion.
I've learned how to unlock the centenarians' life experiences, who served during the Second World War, with photos of their past.
What I appreciate from this journalism journey is how I have a passion for history more than ever. Being a part of a historical school and with its archived newspaper collection opened my eyes to how fortunate I am to be able to access a century of recorded history. I will always say, “Journalism is the forefront of history. Journalists are the ones who document history for future generations.”
Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, Washinton D.C. Shane and Joaquin Davila, Kansas