Welcome back to Student News

Naomi Hsu is a senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. She is the editor-in-chief of Carlmont’s news site, the Scot Scoop, and also writes for Carlmont’s magazine, The Highlander. Before going into journalism, Hsu loved creative writing and personal essays. She appreciates how column writing is the intersection between journalistic and creative writing, and hopes to continue to explore the creative dimensions of journalism through her pieces. She hopes journalism continues to be seen as a source of connection, stirring a sense of empathy and urgency within the people it reaches.

Maddie Shoop-Gardner is a junior at Carlmont High School and an editor for the Scot Scoop. Her drive to ask questions and seek understanding has naturally led her to journalism, which has offered her endless opportunities for immersive learning and the privilege of stepping into the shoes of an expert as she explores subjects that capture her interest. She hopes to bring this spirit to her work as a student news columnist, sharing observations and perspectives shaped by her experiences. Looking ahead, Maddie hopes journalism will continue to reward curiosity and build connections between people, making complex issues accessible and engaging for as broad an audience as possible.

Josie Wettan is a junior at Burlingame High School. She is the social media coordinator for her school newspaper, The Burlingame B, a position she has held since her freshman year. She originally joined the paper to get to know her community better and to develop more nuanced opinions, which also prompted her to try out for Student News this year. She hopes journalism continues to be a creative outlet for teens like herself and a way to share stories that matter.  

Becca Koenig is a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School in Menlo Park and currently serves as editor-in-chief of the student-run publication the M-A Chronicle. She originally got into journalism because it provided her with an outlet for her love of writing. As she has continued over the years, she’s learned many invaluable lessons about writing, critical thinking and life in general. Koenig decided to try out for the Student News column not only to hone her journalism skills, but also to gain more experience in the field.

Emma Shen is a senior at Aragon High School in San Mateo and is the co-editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, the Aragon Outlook. She decided to try out for the Student News column to share some of her perspectives on topics that she thinks a lot of people tend to look past, and speak on topics using her own personal experiences as a point to draw upon. She became interested in journalism due to her desire to try a new style of writing, and was intrigued by the interview and sourcing process. She finds learning about other people’s perspectives fascinating, and hopes that in the future, journalism can be a space for an increasingly diverse body of people to see their opinions and values represented accurately and thoroughly. 

Iny Li is a senior at Burlingame High School and is managing editor of the student-run publication The Burlingame B. She tried out for Student News to explore journalism beyond just the high school setting. She wishes to use the opportunity of having a column to bring attention to topics that are important to her, as well as keep up to date with local news and engage in a professional workspace. She became interested in journalism due to the empowering nature of writing about meaningful topics in a freer setting than purely academic ones. Li hopes to continue to use journalism to uplift communities, work with talented, like-minded peers, and contribute to a cycle of information and discussion that has become needed in our digitized, fast-paced world. 

I, Ayana Ganjoo, am a senior at Carlmont High School and am the editor-in-chief of social media and marketing for Scot Scoop. I decided to try out for the Student News column this year because so far in my journalism career, I’ve never had the opportunity to have a recurring column slot in a publication, and it’s something that has always piqued my interest. I hope to bring light to topics that I notice as being overlooked or poorly represented in media, and like my fellow columnists have mentioned, draw upon personal experiences to add to the depth of my writing. In my opinion, journalism is the backbone of building an honest, ethical society. In the future, I hope to see journalists not only work hard to pursue pure truths in an accurate, unbiased manner, I hope that we find ways to work with new forms of multimedia to tell stories and inspire change in our communities. 

From Maddie, Naomi, Josie, Becca, Emma, Iny and me to you, enjoy a new year of fresh perspectives from student news. You can find weekly Student News columns in both digital and print editions of the San Mateo Daily Journal. 

Ayana Ganjoo is a senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.