A Student Journalist Finds Her Voice
"I want my work not only to be good, but I want it to have meaning."
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Bloomer in the Spotlight 🌼
Meet Poojasai, a 16-year-old from Frisco, Texas.
The high school junior mostly grew up in Nebraska but moved to Texas her freshman year. In a truly delightful interview, we chatted about the culture shock of living in a new state, falling in love with journalism (she’s a writer for her school newspaper, Raccoon Rambler), and the joys of driving around the Dallas suburbs with no destination.
Do you like living in Texas?
Compared to Nebraska [where I spent most of my childhood], Frisco’s a lot better. I say that because Nebraska is primarily white and doesn’t have a diverse population. It was hard, especially growing up as a young girl who was so heavily influenced by her Indian culture. In Nebraska, it became this struggle: “How proud should I be that I’m Indian?” It’s a really common feeling that I think a lot of immigrants have. How can I not be too Indian but at the same time, how can I not be too American? How can I be both together? That was the biggest problem that I had in Nebraska. I faced microaggressions and all that stuff. I wear something called a bindi, which is prevalent in Hindu culture. I remember in middle school I was like, “Maybe if I don’t wear it, people will be more friendly with me. [They’ll] actually want to hang out with me.” So I remember taking it off and never wearing it.
Then I came here to [Frisco] and it was like a culture shock. I was like, “Why are there so many of us everywhere?” I was kind of annoyed by it — it was just so weird to me. [Then], I was like, “Wow, there’s people who understand me.” I finally have friends who understand my cultural references. I remember seeing one girl wear the bindi and it didn’t feel weird because a lot of people knew what that was. No one was asking, “Is that a mole on your head?” That’s one of the biggest pros of moving here. [Also], if I had never moved to Frisco, I never would’ve gotten involved in journalism.
Where do you get your news from?
Social media. I’m so ashamed to say that, but it’s true.
I mean, that’s where I get news too. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.
It’s usually Instagram. I follow a ton of news outlets and journalists. My feed is mostly news, so I’m pretty well aware of what’s happening in the world. Sometimes I’ll go to the New York Times website for fun to see the headlines, but I don’t have a subscription so I can’t read half the articles. They have the stupid paywall. I told myself once I get a job in college, I’ll start paying for one because I genuinely want to read it. My parents don’t have a subscription and I’m not going to ask them to pay for it. But trust New York Times, once I get a job, I will contribute to this nation’s media.
[Laughs] You’re a writer for your school newspaper. Tell me how you got involved.
Joining was super intimidating at first because I knew nothing. I didn’t know how to write a news feature or opinion piece. I didn’t know how to take photos or video. I remember Googling stuff late at night, like, “How do you do this?” When I would write some of my first stories I would hate myself so much because I thought, “This isn’t even important.” Like, I had to report about a girls’ basketball game. I totally support women’s sports, but I had to report about scoring and I was like, “I don’t care.”
Well, that’s just not your beat, right? Like, I would’ve struggled to write a sports story in high school because it’s just not what I’m passionate about.
Last year I would be so hard on myself because I was like, “This doesn’t sound professional enough. This doesn’t sound like a good student journalist. What am I doing?” I want my work not only to be good, but I want it to have meaning. I want to actually make a difference and make my peers think differently. That’s what I strive for. Because the thing is, journalism is kind of an art, right? You have so much influence over someone through like, the 1,500 words you write. That’s insane. That takes so much skill and talent. I think journalism is the most important job in the world because how else are people being educated [about what they don’t know]? Like, you wouldn’t even know what the government is doing without journalists. Like, calm down.
[Laughs] Exactly. I’m curious: If you could had 1,500 words to write anything you wanted for the front page of the New York Times, what would it be?
I don’t think I’ve found my beat [yet]. But something that’s always been close to my heart is South Asian representation. There’s not enough South Asian voices in mainstream media. I’m not saying there aren’t South Asian journalists out there, but we don’t make up a big part of the industry. I started thinking, “Wow, we South Asians don’t really go into those types of careers.” We stick with medicine, engineering, computer science — things like that. [As I’ve become more interested in journalism and social justice], I’ve realized, “Dang, there’s not a lot of us out there.” Like, when I open up the New York Times, I’m not seeing any South Asian voices represented on the front page. Why don’t you cover us? We’re one of the largest growing populations in America. We’re one of the most successful demographics in the entire world.
So I’ve started following more South Asian journalists on Instagram and platforms that elevate South Asian voices. I think the reason why I’m so hung up on “We need more South Asian stories in mainstream media” ties back to my childhood in Nebraska because I felt so unseen. I was kind of forced to be like, “Oh, I’m not Indian. I’m just brown. That’s just my skin color.” When I moved to Frisco, I realized, “Wow, we’re just a beautiful community, but we’re not highlighted enough.” I think that’s when my brain realized it was a problem.
Is there a story you’ve written that you’re most proud of?
The very first story I’m proud of is about my friend who does Indian classical dance called Kuchipudi. I did a story about her and her dance company — they held this dance recital. I was able to take photos and interview her and her teacher. It was just a beautiful story and so wholesome. The photos I took were some of the best pictures I took as a first-year staffer. And it really made me connect to my culture, too. I was like, “I’m not only doing justice for my community, but I’m doing justice for me.” Like, “Hey, I matter. My identity as an Indian girl matters. My community matters.”
I [also] wrote a story about a foundation that was created for a student in our district who passed away from a UTV accident. He was only 12. I interviewed his grieving parents and it was terrifying because I had never done that before. I remember seeing the mom — she had tears in her eyes. I was like “Oh my God. This is terrible. How do I comfort you over Zoom?” I can’t. But she kept saying, “You are so incredible for interviewing two grieving parents. You are so strong for doing this.” It makes me feel so good about myself. I’m so proud of [that story] because it touched the hearts of a lot of people. People told me, “You really helped keep this young boy’s legacy alive.”
What do you like to do for fun?
I’ll ask my family if we go on an hour or two car ride. Like, can we just drive into the fields? I don’t know why I enjoy it so much, but it’s just so peaceful sitting there in the front seat with my mom driving and my little brother in the back. We shove my dad in the backseat, too, because I’m like, “You’re not getting the passenger seat. Sorry, dad.”
[Laughs]
We’ll just drive around and it’s just so peaceful. Especially with sophomore year — like, I have a great relationship with my family, but I feel like I haven’t let my mom and dad into a lot of my life and thoughts. I feel like I’m having more fun this year than previous years, ever since I moved to Texas. So just having that time with my family — to just drive into the suburbs of Dallas — it’s something I really look forward to, especially on weekends.
Another thing I enjoy is just popping my AirPods in, listening to some music, and scrolling through Pinterest. It’s such a soothing activity. I’ll be looking and thinking to myself, “You know, one day I will be that aesthetic girl that these Pinterest people are” [laughs].
Something I’ve also been getting into is collaging. OK, wait, I can’t even say that. I’ve only made one last week. But I’m definitely gonna get more into it. Last weekend it was food-themed. I showed it to my friends and they were like, this is a masterpiece. I’m like, “What can I say?”
What’s something that’s bringing you joy right now?
It’s a sitcom on Netflix called Brooklyn Nine-Nine. They just dropped three new seasons and I’m like, “Let’s go.” Late at night before I go to sleep, I’ll watch an episode.
What’s something you’re looking forward to?
You know that story I wrote about the foundation and the boy who passed away? They’re holding this inaugural dinner and the parents invited me to it. They were like, “You wrote this amazing story. You should come to it.” And I was like, “Wait, I’ve never been to such a fancy dinner before.” So it’s next month and I get to dress up. And they’ve allowed me to bring a camera and take pictures. It’s gonna be fun.
That’s amazing. When did you start getting into photography?
It started in eighth grade because we took a DC trip in middle school. I remember being on the bus and we were probably going to some monument. I remember being bored, so I took my phone out and started editing pictures of the structures outside. I was just like, “Wait, why does this look really aesthetic?” I like, changed. It was insane. And I just took pictures of everything in DC. I would crop them, edit the lighting — everything. So that’s how I got into the art of photography. But after getting into journalism and seeing how photojournalists use pictures to shape a story, I’m like, “Well, yes, photography is an art, but it can be so much more than that.” I just feel so special having a camera in my hand. I’m like, “I have a special authority now” [laughs]. But it’s also soothing to me. I don’t know why, but it’s such a relief in a way, too.
Beyond the Algorithm 🔮
In which Poojasai shares a few of her favorite things:
1. Altitude Mini Highlighters. I first discovered these highlighters from one of my friends and “stole” two of her colors and started using them to color in the mandala coloring books I have. I didn’t realize how perfect these highlighters were for coloring over actual highlighting so I headed to Target and bought myself a pack. I cannot imagine my coloring sprees without them!
2. Milani Supreme Kohl Eyeliner Pencil. Cannot survive without this product. Period. I just absolutely love how this kajal pencil does wonders to how my eye makeup looks.
3. Vaseline. I hate ChapStick (I don’t know why) but my lips get so chapped so much and so easily so it became a habit for me to carry a mini vaseline with me wherever I go since middle school. It’s a real lifesaver for me.
4. KIND Bars Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt Bars. These bars are SO SO GOOD. Probably shouldn’t be eating them on the regular tbh, but they’re such a great snack for once I come home after school and before I'm forced to dive into my load of homework.
5. Pinterest. I LOVE this app!! It's so incredibly relaxing to just pop in my Airpods, listen to music, and just scroll. Looking at the aesthetic images and just amazing artistic creations by other people brings me so much joy.
tysm, Poojasai! 🌼
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