Kiara Caperso says well-resourced journalism should be available to all students

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Kiara Caperso, and I'm a junior at the Bronx High School of Science.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

When I first became involved in journalism, I thought I was learning to write articles.

I quickly realized I was learning much more than just that.

At Bronx Science, I've had access to a journalism program with the resources to let students do real reporting.

Through my school newspaper, I've interviewed people, reported on issues I care about, learned how to edit, and published stories for an audience far beyond my classroom.

I've had teachers and editors who pushed me to ask better questions and look more closely at what I was reporting.

I have been given opportunities to make mistakes, learn from them, and try again.

These opportunities have changed the way I see myself as a journalist.

Journalism has taught me to be curious about what I might have missed.

It has taught me how to listen to perspectives different from my own.

Most importantly, it has given me the confidence to believe that my questions and my voice are worth pursuing.

But I also recognize that my experience is not universal.

I attend a school where journalism has the resources to support and grow.

There are students across New York City who are just as curious.

motivated, and interested in telling stories, but their schools might lack a journalism class, a publication, an advisor, or the resources to support one.

A student should not have to attend a specialized high school or live in a certain zip code to have the opportunity to discover what journalism can do for them.

I know how much students stand to gain from that opportunity because I have experienced it myself.

As New York moves towards the portrait of a graduate, we are asking what skills students actually need when they leave high school.

Journalism answers that question.

It teaches students to think critically, evaluate evidence, communicate effectively, collaborate with others, and engage with the world around them.

Those are not skills students learn by memorizing information for a test.

They develop them by asking questions, researching, and reporting.

That is why I believe the question should not be whether journalism education is valuable.

Charlotte, Julius, Kamani, Sarah, and Ezine have already proven that it is.

The question is whether we are willing to give schools the resources to make that education meaningful.

I've seen what a well-resourced journalism program has given me.

More New York City students deserve that same opportunity, regardless of what school they attend.