{"id":708472,"date":"2023-05-10T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/?post_type=article&p=708472"},"modified":"2023-05-04T14:59:07","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T18:59:07","slug":"qa-lausd-students-journey-to-2023-california-student-journalist-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/qa-lausd-students-journey-to-2023-california-student-journalist-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: LAUSD Student\u2019s Journey to 2023 California Student Journalist of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For LAUSD student Delilah Brumer, journalism was not all that appealing \u2014\u00a0until a series of events tested her and her classmates, revealing the power of the pen and the press.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delilah\u2019s reporting in her community and school led to her selection as California\u2019s 2023 Student Journalist of the Year. Last month, Delilah was recognized as one of five finalists<\/a> for the Journalism Education Association Journalist of the Year and awarded a $1,000 scholarship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis four year journey as a journalist has been really life changing and having all these people behind me has made it even more amazing\u2026\u201d Delilah said. While jumping over countless hurdles, Delilah realized the importance of advocating for your work and supporting fellow journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Delilah’s class at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School faced censorship from the school administration, journalism teacher Adriana Chavira defended them, ultimately leading to an unlawful suspension<\/a>. Rather than being silenced, Delilah and her classmates found their voices through journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After writing nearly 100 stories for her school newspaper, Delilah found a sense of purpose and passion as a student journalist. She will be attending the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview, LAUSD student Delilah talked about what led to her becoming California\u2019s Student Journalist of the Year: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This interview has been edited for length and clarity<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did Ms. Chavira and your experience at Daniel Pearl help you get into Northwestern? Do you owe part of your success to her?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Chavira is one of the most important people in my life. She has impacted me not just by being my teacher, but supporting me in my journey. If it wasn\u2019t for her, I would probably be a completely different person! I am so thankful to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She doesn\u2019t lead our newspaper; she lets us take the reins. She supports each and every one of us in any way she can. We always joke that she\u2019s super strict or passive aggressive, but she\u2019s just a great person who wants to see you succeed. She definitely is one of the biggest reasons I got into Northwestern, but beyond that, she’s one of the biggest reasons I know what I want to do in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back at her suspension last year, what are some things you can take away from that experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that the censorship incident was really, really scary and stressful, but at the same time, it did teach me a lot. It taught me more about journalism law and journalism ethics. It taught me that it’s important to stand up for my work and to know that if my work is solid, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I didn’t write the story that caused the censorship but the student who did, who\u2019s also my friend, did a great job reporting, so there was nothing to be afraid of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that LAUSD tried to censor us<\/a> was kind of a punch; it was out of the blue. It took nine months of behind the scenes fighting and organizing and all that kind of stuff. While it taught me to be more confident and careful in my work, it also showed just how much Ms. Chavira was willing to fight for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think most journalism advisers would at least second guess potentially losing their job for a story their students wrote, but it was never even a question for her. Ms. Chavira was there for us, and she said, \u201cIt is your decision. And I will go along with it. Whatever it is. If you want to take down the article, if you want to adjust the article, if you want to leave it up exactly how it is, it’s all up to you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were scared of her losing her job or being suspended. A lot of us even wanted to bend to the district\u2019s will because of it. But we also knew that if we did that, we were just showing them that they can continue to censor us like they can continue to censor other schools. That was the biggest reason we decided to continue fighting after we made the initial decision to keep the article the way it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to talk about your achievement as California Student Journalist of the Year. Congratulations! Tell me more about that. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think one of the biggest things I learned is that people are watching you and the impact you’re making in your community. As I was putting together my portfolio with almost a year\u2019s worth of work, seeing people respond to all of it was so amazing. I knew that the reporting I was doing, whether it be about my school district\u2019s bus driver shortage or about a new club at my school, the readers cared, and people do care about student journalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thing I learned as I was putting my portfolio together is that I have done a lot more than I thought I have done. I\u2019ve written almost 100 articles! As I was combing through thousands of photos, it was really mind blowing to just see my work all together. It’s easy over four years to get used to what you do, because you care about it. It was nice to step back and be like, \u201cWow, I’ve grown a lot.\u201d So that was really great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way I found out was great, too, because my adviser threw me a little surprise party<\/a>. That day, we were passing out our magazine, so I was very stressed because magazine distribution is always a hectic time. As I was coordinating, Ms. Chavira kept telling me how we had a magazine critique at 10 a.m. and emphasized how I needed to be there. So I went in and saw my principals and counselors and staff writers who are in other periods, but I didn\u2019t think anything of it because I was still stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Even as I write this, I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s real. I\u2019m the California High School Journalist of the Year!! So incredibly honored and grateful. Thank you @ThePearlPost<\/a> for the surprise party! Wish me luck at nationals y\u2019all \ud83e\udd1e pic.twitter.com\/aPyBpqxjuP<\/a><\/p>— Delilah Brumer (@BrumerDelilah) February 13, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>