Alumni credit HUB for success

Past members of The HUB staff say the experience helped them succeed in college and beyond. Here are some of their stories:

The HUB prepared me for a potential career in ways I never thought were possible for a high school course.
Writing is truly a skill necessary for nearly every profession, and developing my writing while working for the HUB gave me the confidence to pursue other outlets of journalism and media broadcasting.
From DHS sports editor to UCSB sports editor, the journalism path has led to many opportunities. I’ve become involved as a broadcaster and reporter for UCSB’s radio station, and currently produce/host a web series titled ‘Beneath the Mask’ for UCSB’s online media content…and it all started in room L-20!
—Brent Pella UC Santa Barbara

The HUB was my first newspaper job and the place where I learned my foundational lessons in journalism — responsibility, accountability, ethics, and how to write a lede. As the HUB’s news editor during my senior year, I found myself managing people and content for the first time. These experiences allowed me to segue into several important years at the Davis Enterprise, to full-time online journalism work in Los Angeles last summer, to the position of news editor of the UCLA Daily Bruin, my current job. This summer, just before my senior year of college, I’ll be in Portland working as the breaking news intern for the Oregonian. I have much to thank the HUB for affirming a career choice and giving me the tools to pursue it.
—Devin Kelly, UCLA

Joining the ROP Journalism class in high school was my first look at a “real” work experience. It was the first time I could see the tangible product of my labor in printed word, distributed to my 2,000 peers. The HUB provided me with skills I can still put on a resume today, including; basic graphic and web design, audio editing and production, copy writing, and even grant writing.
The HUB provided me with countless experiences I would have never gotten in any other classroom. One of my favorites would be leadership experience. In my deluded teenage mind, I really was the “management” for my 30 employees. I learned to take responsibility for mishaps, to take advantage of the diversity of talents in any given room of people, and, most importantly, I found out what it’s like to take immense pride in collective achievements and awards. Clearly, I never played sports.
For me, personally, the HUB is where I first found my own editorial voice and my passion for using media to better understand and deliver the truth. It was because of the HUB that I felt encouraged to apply for many (and received some) journalism scholarships that funded my first year of college.
At the university, I focused more on the social sciences, but my experiences with the HUB never really left me. I spent two years doing research through critical analysis of print media coverage, and continued to rely on my early experiences in the HUB on notions of “truth” and some of the basic ethics of journalism.
Today, I am the social media and media relations coordinator for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska and Hawaii. I continue to work with print, broadcast, and tv media outlets to share stories and highlight news from our non-profit. I also am discovering new ways to communicate our message through social media and mobile platforms.
I could say so much more, but it would never fit on the back of the L-20 door! The HUB classroom was really where I came into my own. Beyond teaching me the power of media in any free society or the strength of the written word in uncovering the truth, the HUB pushed me to continue to follow the rapidly evolving field of journalism and to find my own voice as a storyteller.
—Lindsay Schrupp, University of Washington

Where do I begin? Being able to write has been essential in getting through college, even as a Psych major. At the bare minimum, a student must take at least six courses with heavy writing loads to graduate, and having that experience of pumping out article after article has come in handy every quarter.
Being able to work with people is another tool finessed at the HUB and now cherished. We had about 20 kids in our class but 1 paper to finish and it meant that everyone had to do their job and communicate with each other to keep things rolling. It seems like this was the best practice for the ‘real world’ because there are very few jobs I’ve come across where you won’t be working with a team or a supervisor.
As for the journalism aspect, The HUB taught me how to be a smart consumer of the news. When I see certain articles online or T.V. segments it’s easy to draw the line between the ‘meat’ of the story and the producers’ style choices. It has, to use a the dreaded cliche, really opened my eyes to the news of the world, something I now feel obligated to know at least a little bit of.
Other than that, The HUB showed me that even a bunch of students with other schoolwork and extra-curricula’s can put together an interesting and entertaining news piece. I’ll admit it, it was really difficult sometimes, but it was also by far the most rewarding thing I did in high school. It still makes me chuckle thinking about my Liam vs. The Man column. Good times.
And it looks great on college applications, so what more do I have to say? I’ve also noticed that it helps to have experience working on ‘projects’ such as these: To be successful, a person must be creative, diligent, punctual, collaborative and efficient. This is true for any project, whether it’s designing a fashion catalogue, writing a new software program, working as a lawyer on a new case, etc…
One of the hardest lessons I learned was how to react to situations that weren’t going perfectly smooth. Sometimes, especially when people are counting on you, you just have to cut your losses and get the job done.
—Liam Stanton, UC Santa Barbara

If it wasn’t for my work with The HUB, not only would I not know what I want to do in my life, but I wouldn’t have the skill set and adequate preparation for life after high school. Professors have told me time after time that my ability pull together multiple sources and integrate quotes and interviews into papers is phenomenal, in addition to conducting interviews.
My experience with The HUB, I strongly believe, will be one of the strongest and most fulfilling experiences working with a newspaper and its staff. Since graduating high school, I have been shocked to realize that The HUB is one of the finest student publications compared to the ones I have encountered at my university. I miss the caliber, skill set, and learning that The HUB has to offer.
I just recently was accepted into an 11-person, audition only Literary Journalism class at my college. Thirty students auditioned for the course. I know it has been my work and learning process with The HUB that gave me the skill and confidence to apply and be accepted into this course.
—Alana de Hinojosa, Hampshire College

My experiences in ROP journalism prepared me for future news media opportunities that I have taken with me to university and provided many wonderful experiences and skills that I will always be able to use.
I was able to get a job working for my school’s media and news department promoting the University of San Francisco through the web, weekly newsletter, and newspaper.
—Christina Balsdon, University of San Francisco

The DHS journalism course and my experience with The HUB still continues to influence my current life in ways I could have never predicted. My high school background gave me a leg up when as I continued searching for journalism activities in college. Now, I freelance professional for local newspapers, and last summer, I interned at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington D.C. Perhaps more significantly, though, journalism has changed the way I view and think about my surroundings, and the manner in which I approach issues and problem solving. I’ve learned to explore all angles of an issue, ask the right questions, tell compelling stories, and communicate to a variety of audiences.
I am now in week 3 of our new semester. I’m taking five classes, my favorite of which is a policy task force on the Affordable Care Act (public policy major what what!) Within extracurriculars, I have shifted from many formal to informal leadership roles, but with no shortage of work. I’m still heavily involved with the civic engagement center, and this Spring Break, I will travel to Miami to study immigration and assimilation issues! We’ll be comparing and contrasting the experiences of Cuban vs Haitian immigrants. This summer, I’m still trying to settle a global health research project – the goal is to go to Sierra Leone and work at a primary health care center, with the intention that my internship findings will be rolled into my senior thesis. I plan on writing it on the topic of building healthcare systems in post-conflict societies.
—Shirley Gao, Princeton

Being on HUB has actually been extremely useful in law school. We use the “Blue Book,” which is a citation guide that brings back strong memories of the AP StyleBook, so my experience as copy editor is definitely helping me now.
—Alisha Turak, Columbia University Law School

I thought HUB was one of the best experiences throughout my high school career. Not only did I get to explore and broaden my horizons as a photojournalist, but also created bonds with people that could never compare with anything else, either professionally or informally. I joined the “Daily Californian” at UC Berkeley to see if I could gain the same experience except at the collegiate level but like I similarly said before, it just does not compare to the good ol’ HUB days.
—Ayon Kabir, UC Berkeley

I can honestly say that the two years of my experience at The HUB–as a copy editor and editor-in-chief–have benefited me in so many different ways. I pursued journalism not only in college as a staff writer for The Harvard Crimson (it is my main extracurricular activity), but also in my summer internship as an intern reporter for Chosun Ilbo, the largest daily newspaper in South Korea. In addition to increasing my affinity for reporting and writing, I also gained a lot of leadership (the ability to command and oversee a large group of people to produce something tangible every month), time management, and organizational skills.
—Jane Seo, Harvard

Yes, all the journalism/ ROP has paid off. Yes, doing the multimedia was a hassle sometimes but I was just assigned a video project. Turns out I’m the only one who knows how to shoot proper video and edit correctly thanks to the ROP aspect of HUB!
—Hannah Levien, Marist College