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Wrapping it up like it's Christmas: The culminating thoughts of the program Students: 

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Wrapping it up like it's Christmas: The culminating thoughts of the program Students: 

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Take a peek inside of daily life at the Discovering Local Journalism Program. With fresh interviews from the students who took the class, and captivating photos that take you along almost like you were in the class with us! This video rounds up all of our experiences and memories from the three weeks we spent taking the program.

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In this video, you will see the 13 students who attended the HW Summer Discovering Local Journalism Program. They will share the experiences, challenges, and lessons learned throughout their three weeks together. In case you have ever had a doubt in joining a program just like this, this is your sign to jump right in and pursue your passion.

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Harvard Westlake Journalism Summer Program Reflection.mp4

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News That Hits Home: Matthew Reagan’s Local Mission

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News That Hits Home: Matthew Reagan’s Local Mission

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I’m sure you know what’s happening in countries across the world from us, what’s happening in major US cities, what’s happening with our President, but do you have reliable news about what’s happening in your very own neighborhood? Most likely that answer is no. People such as Matthew Reagan wanted to combat this problem, which led to the creation of the LA Local News Initiative. In this video, you see Reagan’s visit to the HW Summer Discovering Local Journalism Program and get to hear the influential work he is doing with the underrepresented communities in Los Angeles.

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Mustang Memorial Field Presented by French Hospital, Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA

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Max Kelton: Calling the Game, Living the Dream

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Max Kelton: Calling the Game, Living the Dream

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“It was like I had found my very own yellow brick road,” is the way play-by-play announcer Max Kelton described his experience in finding his current career. In this video, you will see his visit to the HW Summer Discovering Local Journalism Program, and see him in his natural habitat with an on the spot call by Max himself.

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Learning Languages Young: HW Summer’s Programming Kickstart class

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Learning Languages Young: HW Summer’s Programming Kickstart class

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Have you ever heard that it’s best to learn languages at a young age? Programming languages are no exception! McQueen teaches Java to students in grades 7-10 at this Harvard-Westlake summer class. She explains how, in our modern world, it is important for all children to know programming even if they aren’t all aspiring computer scientists.

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Developing a fantasy one line at a time: HW Summer’s Game Development 

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Developing a fantasy one line at a time: HW Summer’s Game Development 

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Did you know the average age of online gamers in the US is 36 years old? Well, Juan Lopez let his students get a head start in his HW Summer Game Development class! Monday through Friday, this group of kids learned the building blocks of programming and eventually applied it to their own games. In this video, we hear from two of the students who took the class, along with Mr. Lopez himself, who talks about his experience with game programming and what inspired him to pursue it.

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Kerckhoff Hall, Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA

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Award-winning Daily Bruin gives the Inside Scoop

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Award-winning Daily Bruin gives the Inside Scoop

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How does the Daily Bruin publish three times a week? How many people work for the Bruin? The Discovering Local Journalism Program went to UCLA Kerckhoff Hall to talk with Kayla Williams, External Outreach Director, about the inner workings of the Bruin. Bruins will be shocked to see how much work goes into their favorite source of news.

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Through fires and smoke, they prevailed and gave us daily news: The LAist story

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Through fires and smoke, they prevailed and gave us daily news: The LAist story

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From mic to radio, LAist, located in Pasadena, California, is a nonprofit ensuring that local news is available for everyone to hear. David Rodriguez showed us around the studio, and how a podcast is created with the help of MCs, engineers, and employees devoted to the cause of ensuring a podcast is created for hyperlocal news.

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Sports Complex Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA

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Play-by-play Broadcasting: The Dream Job                                           By: Evan Ho

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Play-by-play Broadcasting: The Dream Job                                           By: Evan Ho

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“I put on my headset and I feel like I’m in my own Narnia.” Play-by-play broadcaster Max Kelton brought the energy of live sports to the Harvard-Westlake Upper School Summer Discovering Local Journalism Program (DLJ) during a guest presentation on June 24. Speaking to the students about his path in live broadcasting, Kelton explained his dream to become a broadcaster and how he followed his passion to get where he is now.

Kelton was first exposed to play-by-play broadcasting in October 2017 as a freshman attending UC Santa Barbara. He instantly became interested and started devoting all his time to practicing his broadcasting skills. He noted that broadcasting “just felt right,” and the more he practiced, the more he fell in love with it.

Kelton emphasized the importance of doing a job that you love. Initially a political science major, Kelton transitioned to play-by-play after discovering his passion for it. He began calling games for UCSB and “never looked back.”

Birdie Reynolds, a rising 10th grader at Harvard-Westlake and a student of the DLJ Journalism Summer class shared her thoughts on Kelton’s presentation.

“I thought you could tell his passion for journalism,” Reynolds said. “I thought that he was really interactive with the audience and he made me want to get into sports journalism, which I’m not a fan of. I liked how energetic Max was and he definitely knew a lot about the world of play-by-play broadcasting.”

In 2019, Kelton became sports director at KCSB, UC Santa Barbara’s student-run radio station. He continued to develop his broadcasting skills while finishing his degree. After graduating in 2021 he moved to Gary, Indiana to call baseball games. He later returned to Santa Barbara and now works with several programs, including Cal Poly, Rice University, the University of Washington, the University of Virginia, and USA Women’s Water Polo.

Kelton named broadcaster Ian Eagle as one of his influences but said he’s focused on building his style and authenticity. “I want to be like myself,” he said.

When asked about his plans for the future, he said “I don’t think about the future, I like to think that whatever I do the future will come.” During his visit, Kelton expressed the significance of taking a “leap of faith” for any hobby you want to pursue, and told the students his long journey to get his dream job.

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Inside the Daily Bruin: HW Journalists Visit UCLA's Top Newsroom                                                      By: Evan Ho, Aidan Akhmetov , Avery Thompson, and Peter Miric

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Inside the Daily Bruin: HW Journalists Visit UCLA's Top Newsroom                                                      By: Evan Ho, Aidan Akhmetov , Avery Thompson, and Peter Miric

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On June 27, Harvard-Westlake Summer Discovering Local Journalism students visited UCLA's student newspaper, the Daily Bruin, for a behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most prestigious college news media. Students visited with Kayla Williams, publication outreach coordinator, in Kerckhoff Hall, where she provided them with an insider's look at day-to-day life, challenges, and dreams driving the newsroom.

The Daily Bruin, founded in 1919, has grown to become the third-largest paper in Los Angeles. The student newspaper publishes with organization and discipline, crafting articles on 17 editorial pages. Williams explained the way it is what sets the Daily Bruin apart that it has a firm and substantial method of practicing journalism. "We're so intentional and methodical about what we do," she said, describing how the staff works like a professional newsroom even though it is made up entirely of students, Williams said.

The conversation also touched on the impact of the recent fires across Los Angeles. Williams mentioned that while reporting on these incidents is of utmost importance, safety must be a consideration when it comes to student reporters.

"We wanted to balance reporter safety with reporting," she said.

With some 200 working staffers, the newspaper has a frenetic pace that sometimes means that staffers have to make do without.

"Sometimes we skip a class… we don't maintain a perfect balance, but we make do," Williams said. The vision of the paper, she continued, differs every year based on its editor-in-chief's agenda, making leadership a critical factor in the Daily Bruin's continuous development and flexibility.

The Daily Bruin also has a very influential online presence, according to Williams. Its website receives hundreds of thousands of hits each month, and the newspaper is well-represented online, where Instagram and Twitter are its two biggest platforms for engaging readers.

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Mic Check: Harvard-Westlake Summer Camp Gets Real with LAist Journalists                            By: Peter Miric

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Mic Check: Harvard-Westlake Summer Camp Gets Real with LAist Journalists                            By: Peter Miric

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Behind every ten-second audio clip, there are hours of research, editing, and filming that people willingly spend in their day-to-day jobs as journalists at the LAist. The Discovering Local Journalism Summer Program visited the LAist on June 26, a public radio station in Pasadena. The students walked through the station with partnership producer David Rodriguez, learning how the non-profit newsroom operates and reports hyper-local news efficiently.

Gillian Moran Perez, a broadcast producer at LAist, explained how she helps organize the newsroom each day.

“A lot of it has to do with what’s interesting to people,” Perez said. “I’m always looking for new angles.” She also explained how the station continued to work during the recent LA wildfires. “We had to wear KN95 masks. We had big air purifiers. The people on the second floor had ash falling from the ceiling and onto their desks.”

During the time of the fires, CBS and KCAL News helped LAist continue production and field coverage.

Perez’s role in the news station includes helping the host speak with both public officials and individuals directly affected by events. She described this as a key part of the station’s approach to covering local news. Perez said, “getting her [host] to talk to important people and talking to people who are impacted the most” was something she was very proud of.

Charlie Sherwood, a rising 9th grader at Harvard Westlake and a student from the Discovering Local Journalism Summer program shared his thoughts on the trip.

“I thought that the trip gave me a little inside peek of what working as a journalist feels like,” Sherwood said.

Later in the visit, journalism students toured the studio and an event space. Michael Lyeva, a studio technician, showed the class a set prepared for an upcoming live cooking event. Lyeva also talked about the station’s goal to involve the public through in-person events.

“We want to bring the community together through organizations, nonprofits, because we are a nonprofit as well,” Lyeva said.

During the tour, two students, Peter and Eric, were invited to record a mock advertisement in one of the sound booths. Doug Johnson, the Vice President of Technology and Operations gave students a chance to hear and feel what being an advertisement speaker was like.

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Matthew Reagan: The Story of Success in Journalism                              By: Avery Thompson and Evan Ho

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Matthew Reagan: The Story of Success in Journalism                              By: Avery Thompson and Evan Ho

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Every good team requires an even better leader, and Matthew Reagan brought his experience to the Harvard-Westlake Discovering Local Journalism (DLJ) Summer Program at the HW Upper Campus on June 30.

His role as the LA documenters assignment editor at the LA Local News Initiative and assistant editor at CalMatters taught him about how to succeed in the news and media industry.

Reagan’s love for journalism led him to pursue a spot in the newspaper at Occidental College during his first year there. When discussing an upcoming article in the program, Reagan said, “I decided, hey, I’m gonna shoot my shot. I raised my hand, I took on the article, and I really feel like that moment set me up on a trajectory that I’m still on today.”

Gyan Zinn, an upcoming 10th grader at Harvard Westlake and a student at the DLJ Journalism Summer class shared her thoughts about Reagan.

“I thought Reagan was really involved with his community and he wasn’t concerned about money,” Zinn said. “He wasn’t concerned about being at a big news outlet and was a lot more concerned about helping his community. I thought that he was really passionate about his topic and what he was talking about.”

As editor, Reagan states that, “My job is to really have my team, my reporters’ backs. That’s something I learned from my advisors, and now carry with me as an editor.” His leadership is something that he carries with him on and off the job, and he constantly makes it his mission to be the best he can for his team with constant improvements.

Reagan continued to explain his view of journalism as a service for the community. He believes that journalism should be used to properly inform others.

Reagan thinks that, “At its core and when it’s done best, journalism is an act of service… to inform the community, to help people make more informed decisions, to help make their day-to-day life maybe just a little bit easier or filled with a little bit more happiness and joy.”

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Journalism Program Reflection                           By: Aidan Akhmetov, Peter Miric, Evan  Ho, and Avery Thompson

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Journalism Program Reflection                           By: Aidan Akhmetov, Peter Miric, Evan  Ho, and Avery Thompson

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All good journalists have to start somewhere, and some of them begin their careers in journalism at the Harvard-Westlake Discovering Local Journalism Summer Program. The program ran from June 16 to July 3, and aimed to teach young journalists the basic skills required to lead a successful career in the field of journalism. Billy Montgomery, the staff advisor of the Harvard Westlake Upper School newspaper, the Chronicle directed and taught this class.

Eric Kim, an upcoming 7th grader attending Harvard Westlake and a student of the DLJ Summer Course shares his experiences about the class.

“I really liked journalism and I wanted to pursue it and have fun during summer break,” said Kim.

Montgomery, the DLJ Summer Course teacher, has taught the class for the past three years. He shares his experience with the students of this year’s Journalism Summer Course and compares his experience to last year’s class.

“This year, we wanted to focus more on hyperlocal journalism," Montgomery said. "Our goal was to kind of really kind of do a drill away from the traditional mainstream press to do some kind of off the beaten path type thing. Last year, we went to Uncovering Gems in LA. So we took them from some of the most opulent places to some of the most rundown places. Imagine going from Beverly Hills to Skid Row, you know, and some of the students had never seen anything like that before, and so it was a real wake up call for them."

Gyan Zinn, a rising 10th grader attending Harvard Westlake, shares what she learned from the course.

“I learned about different types of media.. I learned about what's happening in LA journalism wise.”

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#1 Hack to becoming a millionaire: Take the Finance Summer Class at Harvard Westlake    By: Evan Ho, Aidan Akhmetov, Peter Miric, Avery Thompson

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#1 Hack to becoming a millionaire: Take the Finance Summer Class at Harvard Westlake    By: Evan Ho, Aidan Akhmetov, Peter Miric, Avery Thompson

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Finance Fun-oh-Fun has students seeing dollar signs this summer with Patrick Toche; an economics professor at California State University Fullerton. He teaches students ranging from seventh to tenth grade at the Harvard-Westlake Upper School campus in Chalmers 306. Now in his fourth year of leading the summer finance class, Toche helps students navigate the stock market and understand financial news. He “called all millionaires” to join his class from June 16 to July 3.

Brendan Chung, a rising 9th grader who attends Polytechnic High School shares his experiences about why he chose the finance class.

“To me, what's been appealing so far, at least, is the teacher, he takes on a very global perspective when he talks about different things, how, like, affairs in different countries can affect the stock market, how different currencies have relevance to our own lives,” Chung said.

Toche said a few students in his class will pursue finance at a greater level than just his class and he hopes they will positively impact the finance sector in the future.

“Between 2.5% and 5% of students, I get a feeling they will either be really going for a career in finance or, if not, at least, follow that portfolio very carefully,” Toche said. ”They really seem to be interested in it and researching it.” He added, “The young startups that are just rising, they offer the greatest growth potential, but also the greatest risks. So I'm hoping that students will begin to appreciate these aspects of risks.”

Hunter Gulani, a rising 8th grader who attends Mayfield Junior School with aspirations to go to Harvard-Westlake for 9th grade, talks about the stock market game frequently used in the class, called “How the Market Works.”

“Definitely. It's a really nice way to learn about stocks in a safe and helpful way,” says Gulani. “And it's safe because you're not actually trading real money and you know, if the different stocks you buy and different crypto or digital money that you buy, you can see how it makes you grow or it makes your growth decline.”

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Ever wondered what goes on inside a Harvard-Westlake Summer Program? Well, you’re in luck because this podcast not only gives you an inside view on the Discovering Local Journalism Program, but also another program called Study Skills. Through the mics and cameras, you get to hear about every field trip, experience, and process we went through to provide insights for the Harvard-Westlake Community.