"Unleashed is": A student retrospective on 10 years

for the Yakima Herald-Republic

Unleashed was absolutely everything to me for four years.

Writing for the section was my varsity sport, my yearbook, my band, my flag team, my cheerleading squad, my exceptionally geeky anti-drug. Dorky as it may sound, it's the truth.

I invested four years of my youth in writing columns and stories once a month for CD money and free pizza, and still feel as if I haven't given enough in return.

The section gave me a voice when I was 14 years old, not even out of middle school, a voice that people intended me to actually use. I was given the opportunity and the freedom to be who I was and say the things I wanted to on a very public platform.

Those things that I desperately wanted to say were maybe not always earth-shattering and sometimes just awkward grumbling about the world around me, but other people read those words, and they read my name, and I could relish in the fact that I had something that belonged so much to me.

My writing for Unleashed was always my own, never stepped on by other people, or changed by expectations of the community members who read the paper.

I wrote about the things that I thought were important, and I reported about things that I didn't expect other people would see otherwise. Unleashed was the first to showcase the debut high school Gay-Straight Alliance in Yakima and was very quick to cover the canceling of the Laramie Project at Davis High School two years ago.

Yet, more than anything, Unleashed has instilled a passion in me.

I walked into the program an intimidated 14-year-old who rather enjoyed writing diatribes against fake punk bands and wanted to do the same thing on a larger scale.

I left my final Unleashed meeting a slightly less intimidated 18-year-old, one who still loves attacking bad art, but celebrates the merit in storytelling.

I come away from Unleashed wanting to share experiences, my own and those of the people in the community around me. I want to lend other people the voice that Unleashed afforded me. I want to challenge readers' perceptions and change the way we see the world. Lofty expectations, I know, but they're the only ones that matter when you realize you want to become a writer.

I have learned the role of a journalist through Unleashed, as well as through a handful of journalism workshops and mentorships that the program has introduced me to. I am passionate about stories and am eager to learn more and achieve more as a reporter and columnist.

The past four years have been training and preparation for the next four years: a college experience in which I hope to better hone the skills of the writer that I am now. I plan to expand my voice and become bigger and better than I have been before.

And then turn around and give back.

Unleashed is the best thing in this community for young people like I was and I am. It transcends sports and music and sometimes even school in the purpose that it gave me as a teenager. Unleashed gave me a reason to want to succeed, to push myself and do better. I honestly, and I mean in complete truth, do not know the kid that I would be without Unleashed.

I imagine I would be someone without the passion I have in my life. A kid without the success and self-fulfillment that I have already been so lucky to experience. I hope Yakima never loses this program; it would be a blow to the quality of this community's young people.

I know I will be coming back every summer, ready to help this program grow and expand. I will come back ready to help the next generation of eighth-graders who have yet to find their niche, help them discover that Unleashed is that exact niche that has been waiting for them.

 

-- Olivia Hernandez, a four-year veteran of the Unleashed program and a 2008 Davis High School graduate, attends Seattle University.

 

... a gateway to recognition and self-discovery

 

I remember the first time I saw the Unleashed section in the Yakima Herald-Republic. I was 8 years old, and I stumbled upon it while looking for the comics and movie listings.

At the time, it didn't strike me as anything out of the ordinary. After all, teenagers fell into the large category of people who were bigger and older than me.

And, of course, I had no idea that I would be part of the team eight years later.

I began writing for Unleashed two years ago. When I first applied, I didn't like my chances of getting on. I thought my lack of experience with a school newspaper (something I didn't have in middle school or my freshman year of high school) would put me at a disadvantage against those who had.

To say that I was merely excited to get my acceptance letter would be an understatement; it was hands down the highlight of my school year. For years, I'd written on my own time, and now I would finally have a place for my work to be read.

My first year was only moderately productive. Like many first-year reporters, I started off writing feature articles that typically didn't stray far from my school. But it was in my second year that I really found my niche in writing columns.

I figured that being a columnist would be a way for me to be more productive, seeing as there was a monthly deadline. However, it gave me more than just a large number of articles; freed from the requirement of being the eyes and ears of an event, I got to inject my own voice into my writing.

Being a columnist expanded the horizons with which I wrote about the world around me. While at school, I would write essays about characters in stories or some historical event. But when I would come home and be faced with the terror of an imminent deadline, I got to write about issues that mattered to me.

Every once in a while, I would have a fun topic, like Christmas shopping or superheroes, but I also had tougher ones, like teen sex and the value of being ordinary.

In my third and final year with Unleashed, it has taken over as my main extracurricular activity. But it is much more to me than just something I do in my spare time. It has been a gateway to recognition and self-discovery.

Never did I imagine that some of my peers would tell me they look for my articles in the newspaper. I also never imagined that it would help me regain some of the favor I'd lost with a friend with whom I'd fallen out of contact for several years.

I've reached a wider audience than I ever expected. People young and old tell me that they enjoy my work.

Writing for Unleashed has helped me discover a lot about myself. As the gap between "who I'm becoming" and "who I am" continues to close, I've gotten a great idea of what I'm capable of doing and where I stand. It even has me thinking about pursuing journalism as a career.

I believe Unleashed represents a great opportunity for the teens in the Yakima Valley. We get the chance to show that we can be thoughtful and expressive individuals rather than the obnoxious and self-centered delinquents we're often stereotyped as being.

With the June 2009 date of my high school graduation approaching, I feel a little sad that this is the final year I will be writing for Unleashed. But at the same time, I will be forever grateful for this incredible opportunity.

 

-- Andy Carroll, a senior at La Salle High School, is a three-year member of the Unleashed team.

 

... a platform, an experiment, and an amazing opportunity

 

I've been stockpiling opportunities.

I've competed in essay contests and for scholarship money. I've applied and been accepted to a variety of colleges. And I've been selected for and participated in a couple of specialized workshops for student journalists.

Last school year, my senior year, particularly overflowed with accomplishment. And it's all because I chose to act on one special opportunity about two years ago: Unleashed.

The moment I chose to pursue Unleashed, opportunities began pouring in. I met fellow teens who liked what I liked. I met a plethora of interesting characters by interviewing them for stories. In between, I was given the opportunity to pursue a career at a young age. Basically, when I chose Unleashed, I began my career as a journalist.

That's why Unleashed is unique. It's not an average school paper. It's not a high school yearbook. Sure, it's only a weekly section. But it's set in a seven-day-a-week newspaper full of prospective mentors and experienced professionals.

It's the equivalent of a teen who wants to be a doctor getting to work at a hospital for a couple of years. It's hands-on. It's an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And for teens who want to make a difference, it's an opportunity worth taking.

Maybe you feel like your voice isn't being heard. Maybe you feel like you can't make a difference just because you're a teenager. But when your name is in the same newsprint as the bylines adults read every morning, you will be heard. And trust me, it will happen fast.

Strangers will approach you and say things like, "Great article. I really agreed with what you said." Or, maybe, "That wasn't the best choice." Sometimes, people have even approached me with story ideas. It's like being a real-life reporter. And that's just the beginning.

Through Unleashed, I was able to participate in The Valley Workshop at the Yakima Herald-Republic and the Journalism Summer Workshop at Seattle University. I had the privilege of stepping out of my surroundings. I was able to experience the job of a reporter, all the while learning straight from the source: reporters who had been there and done that. And they wanted to see me thrive.

I was even taught by Tomas Guillén, the investigative reporter who covered the Green River Killer for the Seattle Times. Now, that's what I call an opportunity.

Plus, it was nice to get paid a little -- $15 per article or column -- for doing something that I loved. (I would have easily done it for free.)

And to me, the perks weren't even the most important. The most effective aspect of Unleashed is its permissiveness. I was able to express myself in my favorite manner -- written words -- without being limited. Whatever was important to me, I wrote about, and it was printed.

To me, Unleashed epitomizes free speech, my favorite American attribute. What's different, though, is that it gives that speech to teens, the voice of the future, the generation to come.

With the compilation of opportunities, of course, comes responsibility. It's a responsibility to devote time and energy to your work and develop strong communication with your editor. But most importantly, it's a responsibility to properly represent your generation. Sometimes, it's going to be a choice between expressing yourself irrationally or performing a duty that will contribute to your community's well-being.

Overall, this responsibility leads to growth. It definitely caused me to be aware of what I wrote. It forced me to write better, which has been irreplaceably beneficial.

All this takes bravery. It takes a willingness to learn. It takes patience. But it's beneficial, especially if you plan to pursue a career in journalism, or even if you just like to write, or draw, or take photos. Unleashed is a platform. For some, it's an experiment. It's incredibly versatile.

When I chose Unleashed, I chose opportunity. And opportunities continue to come in.

A book I recently read -- "In a Pit With a Lion On A Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson -- says, "You don't have to get it right the first time, but you do have to start somewhere. A dream becomes reality one opportunity at a time."

When I chose Unleashed, a dream became a reality. I just wish I had more time on the team.

-- Wyatt Kanyer, a two-year veteran of the Unleashed program and a 2008 Riverside Christian School graduate, attends Texas Christian University.

 

... a fun and healthy outlet for teenagers, and a privilege

 

Since I don't already have enough on my plate, I decided to add another thing. And Unleashed is one priority I don't want to miss out on.

For teenagers especially, having a way to express their ideas and interests to the rest of the community is a fun outlet and a healthy one.

Ever since my older sisters participated in Unleashed, I knew I wanted to do the same. I'd gotten decent scores in Language Arts class, and writing was definitely a passion, so without delay, at the end of eighth grade, I sent in my application to be a part of this program.

For the past few years that I've written for Unleashed, I know I have changed, not only my writing techniques, but also my personality. From that first timid phone interview, to how I now confidently dial numbers to schedule interviews in person, I feel an immense difference. I no longer worry about how good my writing is; I focus on how I can make it better.

Being a reporter means taking on a responsibility that not all teens have. Deadlines must be met and expectations must be followed. Interviews and photos have certain rules because it's our job as writers and photographers to relay accurate news to the readers.

Unleashed is a privilege, one that cannot be taken for granted. I am thrilled to have been part of the program for the past few years, but I am also ecstatic to welcome new staffers so that teenagers all around the Valley can continue to have an active voice in the community.

So between sports games, tests and piano recitals, I will keep writing. Not simply to see my name in print, but to watch as my ideas influence those who read them.

My dream is to someday write professionally, and now, thanks to Unleashed, I'm a little bit closer to that goal.

 

-- Colleen Fontana, a junior at Davis High School, is in her third year on the Unleashed team.

 

... a springboard to the future for the curious, questioning

 

When I think back on my years as a student at Prosser High School, I realize how Unleashed played a crucial role in opening my worldview.

Journalism as a profession requires great intrigue and inquisitiveness. My role as a writer for Unleashed encouraged those innate qualities, so that I became a young woman of questions and curiosity. To this day, these are among my strongest qualities, and among my faults.

Often I am able to elicit interesting stories from daily conversation. At the same time, I have been accused of being in "full-time reporter mode," which dampens my journalistic spirit -- temporarily.

Since graduating from high school -- and Unleashed -- I've spent a year and a half at Whitworth University in Spokane and a year at Universidad Católica in Valparaíso, Chile. Now I am finishing my degree in economics at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Especially in Chile, my Unleashed training came into play. My high school experience in journalism taught me to first approach as a respectful observer, and then, after trying to understand the culture, analyze it.

In Chile, one of the great enigmas is the variety of opinion surrounding the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from 1973 to 1989. I was with my Chilean host family the day he died, Sept. 10, 2006. Astonishment and shock turned to mourning, for he was the man who "saved" Chile from becoming Chavez's Venezuela or Castro's Cuba, and ushered the country into the globalized economy.

On the opposite extreme, some of my close friends from the university joined thousands in Santiago who participated in celebratory parades and events. His death meant the country could begin to heal, they thought. Pinochet's legacy and death continues to acutely divide the country. Understanding this complex situation from a variety of viewpoints necessitated a reporter's mindset.

What is more, Unleashed also offered superior experience in writing. With the help of Unleashed's Adriana Janovich and Prosser High School's English teacher, the witty Barbara Warriner, I wrote for Unleashed and our local newspaper, The Prosser Record Bulletin. I learned how to write with a certain style, correct conventions and smooth transitions. This has been foundational in my academic and professional development. Certainly, college term papers have benefited from my experience in journalism!

Also, I have been able to write copy for our family business, Chukar Cherries, helping with the catalog and Web site, as well as news releases and other writing tasks. Those skills are a direct result of my involvement with Unleashed.

Though I am no longer pursuing journalism as a profession, I appreciate the work of a journalist and treasure that experience immensely. It has greatly contributed to the person I am today. In December, I will graduate with my bachelor of science degree in economics from the University of Washington. Then, thanks to Rotary District 5060 and the Prosser Rotary Club, I will spend six months studying Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Learning Spanish, Portuguese and hopefully French will contribute to my work in the field of economic and community development and business.

Looking back, I just cannot believe how influential my experience with Unleashed has been in shaping my character and offering professional and academic skills. Our human nature will always harbor a flame of curiosity, and Unleashed under Adriana Janovich's leadership encouraged us to pursue answers, with an open mind, with a desire to understand.

Happy 10th anniversary, Unleashed! Here's to another 10 years of high school students who broaden the readership's perspective, and in the meantime, expand their own horizons.

 

-- Alexandra Auld, a 2004 Prosser High School graduate, attends the University of Washington.

 

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