Six Days, 10 Students and A Dream

A group of Washington area high school students spent six days at washingtonpost.com learning about multimedia journalism, gathering content and creating a report about the March on Washington. They asked readers if the dream expressed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous speech still resonated today as well as explored the history of protest marches and political movements. Meet the students who comprised the inaugural class of washingtonpost.com's High School Journalism Workshop.

My name is Fuk-Ying Cheng, also known as Flora, and I am a 17-year-old senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic Senior High School. I was born in Hong Kong, China, where I lived for the first nine years of my life. I have lived in Northwest Washington for more than seven years. I enjoy writing, reading, learning about different cultures and languages, and experiencing new things and people to help me understand the world better.

I am Wolana Day. I was born on May 13, 1991, at Guam Memorial Hospital and spent most of my life on the island Pohnpei of the Federated States of Micronesia. Last summer I moved to Arlington, Va., and I am now a student at Wakefield High School, where I play for the school volleyball team. Being an intern at washingtonpost.com has given me an idea of what kind of journalism I'd like to pursue. I learned different newsgathering techniques and how to operate certain tools necessary for being in the field and on the scene.

My name is Nelly Desmarattes and I'm a 17-year-old senior at Rockville High School in Rockville, Md. I was inspired to be a journalist by my father, who is a broadcast journalist for Voice of America. In my sophomore year, I took the Journalism I class offered at my high school and was an online sports writer for the school's online paper. As a junior, I was news managing editor for my school’s newspaper The Rockville Rampage. In my upcoming senior year, I will be the editor-in-chief of the school paper.

I am Will Hirzy, a 17-year-old senior at School Without Walls in Washington, D.C. From a very early age, I have had a passion for storytelling. Upon entering high school, I found journalism as an outlet for my desire to spread knowledge. I discovered photography while working as a staff writer and photo editor for my school newspaper. Since then, I’ve continued to contribute to the newspaper and yearbook, combining text and photographs to tell stories about my school community, on everything from anti-war protests to soccer games. I plan to pursue my interest in photojournalism in college and later as a career. This internship introduced me to video, which I plan to feature heavily in a school news blog I started this year.

I am Alexandra Kennedy, a 16-year-old junior at the Potomac School in Virginia. I enjoy writing creatively, traveling, reading, film and journalism, of course. My initial interest in journalism stemmed from curiosity about my father's work as a photojournalist. A passion for writing and a habit of asking many questions only added fuel to the fire. I have had my work published in my school’s independent newspaper, Common Sense. My experience here at the High School Journalism Workshop has been absolutely phenomenal, and has given me new insight not only into what it means to be a journalist, but a good one at that.

My name is Paul Mathis and I am a 17-year-old rising senior at Annandale High School. I started working as a staff writer for my school paper, The A-Blast, during my sophomore year. I became the center spread, in-depth editor in 2006 and will be co-editor-in-chief this year. My dedication to The A-Blast is strong and I have been named the most prolific writer on staff twice. Besides The A-Blast, I have participated in journalism workshops and helped teach other students through The Washington Post Young Journalists Development Program.

I'm Sam McCann, a 17-year-old student at West Potomac High School. There I am the News Editor of the school paper, The Wire, and an assistant editor-in-chief of the yearbook. I have also helped create a radio program in conjunction with National Public Radio and taken summer journalism classes at American University. I hope to continue my journalism studies in college and eventually write for a major newspaper.

My name is Miguel Perez, and I am an 18-year-old senior at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Va. I am the production manager at my school’s newspaper, Valor Dictus, where I am in charge of the paper's layout among other things. I enjoy various aspects of journalism, especially reporting. But I equally cherish the technical aspect of designing pages and captivating readers’ attention through the art of design. I hope to continue to work to improve my school newspaper through the ideas and skills that I have learned through this experience at the Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. I am interested in pursuing a career in journalism and I look forward to working as an intern at local newspapers.

I am Latasha Russell, a 17-year-old honor roll senior and aspiring journalist at Benjamin Banneker Academic Senior High School in Washington, D.C. I enjoy writing, reading magazines, music, concerts, shopping, talking, traveling, spending quality time with my family and friends and playing tennis. I would like readers of my stories to gain insight to my generation's perspective. I am overwhelmed by the various aspects of journalism that I have learned about while taking part in this journalism workshop. In college I plan to major in journalism with a minor in business entrepreneurship. I am very motivated and I set goals that I know I can accomplish. As Oprah Winfrey says, "The big secret in life is there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."

My name is Karen Vanegas and I'm a junior at McKinley Technology High School in Washington, D.C. I'm a reporter for my high school newspaper, The McKinley Wire, as well as a member of The China Exchange Program. I enjoy learning about cultures different from my Salvadoran-American culture. I hope to one day be able to connect my interest of cultures and journalism as a career. Being a summer intern for Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive has been beneficial to me in many ways. I've learned a great deal about researching and reporting, and photography, audio and video. Working as an intern helped me have a better understanding and appreciation of online reporting.