By Mariah Edmonds-GuridyCentral High School Teaching Spanish classes at Central High School, Rachael Rodriguez occasionally comes across students from Spanish-speaking families – but who are only just learning the language themselves. By the time they reach Rodriguez’s class, many have struggled with feelings of inadequacy or been mocked, because they lack fluency in their family’s […]
By Emily ScheerConestoga High School In the world of film, it is often a struggle for Latinx filmmakers to express their culture within the predominantly white industry. But in Philadelphia, these local filmmakers and curators work hard to embrace their culture in their projects. Since its opening in 2012, the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film […]
By Alexandria StephensGermantown Friends School Stroll along the vibrant sidewalks of South Street, and you’re treading in the footsteps of a resilience that echoes through time. Each corner reverberates with the lived experiences of triumphs and tribulations, woven into the fabric of South Street’s rich history. From its genesis as the strongly beating heart of […]
By Joy EmmanuelSouth Philadelphia High School Sports photography is an art form that captures the essence of athleticism, passion, and determination in a single image. While capturing these moments, photographs can show the raw emotion of game play or quieter intimate scenes like a group huddle or stretching before a game. For this story, I […]
By Jeffrey HengConestoga High School Sarun S. Chan, executive director of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia (CAGP), spent his childhood at a refugee camp in Thailand and has felt disconnected from his family line. For millions of Cambodians, the Khmer Rouge regime was responsible for a genocide between 1975 and 1979 that brought an unbearable […]
By Shenaire ChandlerThe Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush The Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush’s theater is packed for the Short and Sweet Theatre Festival. As the actors move on stage, Cynthia Duong listens closely for the line, “Hit it!” This is her one and only shot to get the light cue perfect, since she struggled […]
By Nora GargScience Leadership Academy At the Thread Bar in Philadelphia’s tony Rittenhouse Square neighborhood, Bollywood music plays on a loop and the multilingual banter of employees buzzes through the shop as strings of customers filter in and out. Sadia Afreen, whose family emigrated from Bangladesh when she was 11, and Harinder Kaur, a native […]
By Cassidy MadisonSs Neumann Goretti High School Many communities are touched by gentrification in Philadelphia. Gentrification is the process of a poor urban area changing because of wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, typically displacing current inhabitants in the process. The impact of gentrification is felt by longtime residents through tax […]
By Mareska ChettiarConestoga High School Jian Zhou is the heart of a little café in Paoli, Pa.: Cup of Dreams Coffee and Tea. She’s a barista, owner and mom, pulling people into the cozy, warm corner that is her café. Zhou always knew she wanted to run a coffee shop. She started Cup of Dreams […]
By Tanisha AgrawalConestoga High School The clock chimes 8:00 a.m., and Surrey Services in Devon bursts alive with activity. Senior adults stream through the doors, their faces beaming with anticipation for the day’s events. Warm greetings fill the air as friends reunite, sharing smiles and stories. Laughter floats down the hallway as Pedro, the head […]
By Marina (Nhu) PhamUniversal Audenried High School Everything feels blurry and overwhelming when an immigrant first steps into the United States. At that time, many emotions are running through the immigrant mind: happiness, relief, uncertainty, curiosity and anxiety. They are asking themselves, “What do I do now?” This is what I was feeling when my […]
By Xen GadsdenScience Leadership Academy Culture is a huge part of any student’s identity. Still, many students feel like they need help properly sharing or expressing themselves and their culture due to school dress codes and other rules placed on them by the school administration. At Science Leadership Academy (SLA), a student-led organization called the […]
By Tanisha AgrawalConestoga High School In Devon, Pa., Pour Richard’s Coffee Co. & Distillery has created a haven for local coffee enthusiasts and farmers worldwide. But for this family-owned café, the aroma of freshly roasted and brewed beans and the cozy environment are merely the cream on top. Owners Richard and Mj Berman attended college […]
By Kiara MaldonadoBenjamin Franklin High School Fergie Perez has only been in Philadelphia for a year. She came from Honduras to reunite with her mother. During her first few months in a new country, she felt overwhelmed by the language barrier. That feeling was especially strong at her new school, Benjamin Franklin High. “I cried […]
By Samira AndersonTimber Creek Regional High School When he was on the hunt for a new job 13 years ago, Kevin Slaughter didn’t want to be a basketball coach, and definitely not for a girls team. The opportunity won him over, he said, because he “loved the competition.” Now, just over a decade later, he’s […]
By Pita GaskinKensington High School Inside Rowhome Coffee, customers are greeted by soft background music and smells of freshly brewed coffee. On a recent Sunday morning, customers were packed into the small space, chatting with each other and sipping from drinks. The coffee shop, located at 2152 N. Front St. in East Kensington, has been […]
The 2024 Acel Moore High School Journalism Workshop wrapped up with more career insights from Inquirer journalists. First, students learned some basics about opinion writing from Rich Jones, managing editor of the Opinion desk, and Luis Carrasco, deputy editor of the Editorial page. They talked about the importance of approaching opinion and editorial writing with […]
During the workshop’s third Saturday session, an award-winning Philadelphia journalist and the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP both told students they should always be on the lookout for and seize opportunities to pursue their interests and develop their careers. Bobbi Booker, managing editor of PlanPhilly, a project of WHYY, shared how she […]