The quintessence of Student News

These writers have all grown up across San Mateo County. Currently, we’re wading through the tumultuous waters of high school. It’s true that our geographic locations might vary slightly, but we are united through a fierce passion for journalism that stems from the belief that our writing will change the world.

Idealistic? Maybe. But as far as I’m concerned, it absolutely can.

Eileen Liu is a sophomore at Menlo-Atherton High School who writes to amplify unheard voices in her community. She was born in China and immigrated to the United States with her family at 5 years old. Liu’s cultural identity informs her perspectives on current social justice issues; her editorials can be found in the Piedmont Post and San Mateo Daily Journal, as well as the Piedmont Middle School Paper. She hopes to explore climate concerns and write about immigrant-owned restaurants in her columns this year. Aside from writing, Liu enjoys art, music and photography.

From the classroom to the courtroom, Carlmont senior Grace Wu is mending breaking news. A local fire? She’s there. A new mask mandate? She has it covered on Scot Scoop. Wu is also a managing editor of Carlmont’s Highlander news magazine. Although her journalism career started on a whim, she has come to love the instantaneous communication news enables between writers and readers. She looks forward to strengthening her opinion chops this year. When she’s not writing, Wu’s prepping for Carlmont’s Mock Trial or tutoring students in Chinese and music.

Elise Spenner is a junior at Burlingame High School. A political junkie at heart, Spenner’s journalistic journey was born from an insatiable curiosity to understand the inner workings of our government. She is currently a managing editor of the Burlingame B and a writer covering the Supreme Court. In addition to journalism, Spenner is an athlete: She hopes to bring her readers to the soccer field by exploring toxic competition and finding joy through sports in columns this year. When she’s not writing, you can find Elise musing over a recipe or between the pages of a good book.

Environmentalist Ellen Kim has set out to unify her love of writing with climate awareness. A senior at San Mateo High School, Kim got involved in her school newspaper, the San Mateo Hi, this past year. However, her experience with climate journalism has permeated her entire educational career: She works with an environmental education organization and helps keep their blog running smoothly. Kim also has a strong background in creative writing and is the co-captain of her school’s mock trial and debate team. She cannot wait to tackle a diverse set of topics in her columns this year.

I, Chesney Evert, am a senior in Carlmont High School’s journalism program. I write to connect with the world around me and see a future where all news is uncensored, well-researched and a vehicle of empathy. Dabbling in many forms of media (from podcasting, video production, opinion and expository writing, and magazine design) has helped me cultivate a love for print journalism that I will pursue as the editor-in-chief of the Carlmont Highlander this year. When I am not typing frenetically, you can find me working at the Reading Bug, playing Bananagrams, or singing and dancing onstage.

Eileen, Grace, Elise, Ellen and I are honored to write for the San Mateo Daily Journal this year; we hope you will join our quintet each week in the Student News columns. You can find them online or in the weekend print edition.

Chesney Evert 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.