Commitment to Diversity
Representing events and facts accurately is important. But I believe covering people accurately is far more important. My platform as a journalist is a privilege, and I understand the responsibility that comes with it. My work directly impacts the lives of those I represent and write about, and just as much, it impacts those whom I omit. In all of my work I strive to remember the humanity in those I write about, ensure accuracy, and keep an open mind and prioritize fairness when choosing stories.
Yearbook Clubs Spread
This “Fall Clubs” spread in the 2025 yearbook features the various student organizations at Bloomington North that promote accessibility, inclusivity, and diversity. The dominant photo features LGBTQ+ students and allies at the annual Bloomington Pridefest event.
The students who worked on the this spread did a great job finding a common thread to connect two different clubs together in the body copy: Bring Change 2 Mind and the Unites Students Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Modules and additional photos highlight North’s other organizations.
Bloomington neighborhood site of 50th Indiana Solar for All project
Oct. 9, 2025
This article features a celebration of the 50th solar panel installation by a local non-profit organization that provides free solar panels to low- and medium-income homeowners. The organization follows the same sweat equity model as Habitat for Humanity: solar panel recipients commit to 80 hours of volunteer work installing solar panels for future recipients.
Those involved in this project were wonderful people to meet, and this example captured how our community came together to provide solar panels to those who aren’t able to afford them.
Yearbook Coverage
Ensuring that the work I help produce is accurate and fair to the people represented is crucial.
In the Nikean yearbook, with my staff, I’ve spent the past two years perfecting a meticulous system to ensure coverage of every single student at our school. With the small exception of students who don’t wish to be in the yearbook, in the 2025 book, we covered nearly all of the 1,500 or so students at Bloomington North.
Above is a screenshot of our “coverage” sheet. This list of all students (one student per row) helps us track our progress through the year. When choosing who to interview or which photos to include on a spread, staff members consult this sheet to find subjects who have yet to be covered. Staff members also update the sheet once a student appears on a spread. The sheet includes conditional formatting and formulas to automatically count the number of appearances.
With a yearbook organized by weeks, it’s also important that we track how many times each topic is covered. Each athletic team, each club and student organization, and each academic class needs to be represented.
Our sheet uses this data to summarize our progress. For example:
This critical work helps make sure the yearbook represents our school accurately, and that no student feels left out.