Journalism shines bright at Diamond Technology Institute

The multipurpose room at Diamond Technology Institute in Watsonville was buzzing with excitement when the Lookout team arrived. Up first in a packed agenda at the spring school assembly, I took the mic from teacher Ian Licata, who recalled the reporting lesson we taught at the beginning of the year as a primer for this moment.

Working with local organizations to spark career ambitions, Diamond Tech has embraced Lookout in the Classroom since the education program’s inception – its students continuously shining a light on community changemakers.

Lookout’s journalism scholarship invites high school students countywide to contribute a feature to the “Unsung Santa Cruz” series, highlighting a local whose dedication to the community might not otherwise be recognized. Authors uncover a story, interview sources and write an article worthy of publication.

Mr. Licata, as the students call him, integrates Lookout in the Classroom into his humanities class curriculum for juniors at Diamond Tech, producing a steady stream of scholarship finalists, and this year was no exception. Lookout received 130 submissions from high school students across Santa Cruz County and selected 10 finalists, two of whom came from Diamond Tech:

Isabela Vasquez Melgoza wrote about a district employee removing obstacles for migrant families in their new communities;
Orlando Cazales Mendoza’s article followed a student advocating for ethnic studies to remain in the district curriculum.

The packed room erupted in applause and cheers when the students accepted recognition from Lookout Education Correspondent Hillary Ojeda, their smiles as bright as the loaded Lookout swag bags they held.

This was a full-circle moment for me. Diamond Tech was my first classroom visit shadowing Jamie Garfield, director of student & community engagement at Lookout. We engaged the class in a discussion about local journalism’s role in building communities and how to find reliable sources of information.

Then students began interviewing classmates and transforming what they learned into feature stories in preparation for scholarship submissions in tiny booklets called zines. (If you’ve never folded a zine out of a single sheet of paper, I dare you to try – it does not come naturally to all, so it was heartwarming to see students helping each other, and me, fold, cut and fold again before placing their story elements on the panels.) Last, a Lookout reporter was on hand to answer any on-the-job questions.

Since the Diamond Tech lesson, we visited classrooms around Santa Cruz County to teach relevant topics, such as science communication, media literacy and the role of the press in elections. When it came time to review the student scholarship submissions, it was reassuring to see the quantity and quality of the articles that Lookout received. I think some of these students found their calling – precisely why Diamond Tech offers real-world experiences in the classroom.

As a volunteer and ambassador for Lookout Education, I’m excited to help grow this important initiative. Here’s how you can inspire a new generation of journalists: