![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Emmy-winning broadcast journalist gives keynote address at convention
Documentary filmmaker and journalist Laura Castañeda addresses a roomful of student journalists at a convention in the Bayfront Hilton in San Diego. In her keynote speech, she discussed her work on her documentary The Devil’s Breath and encouraged budding journalists.
SAN DIEGO – Emmy Award-winning journalist Laura Castañeda gave a keynote speech at the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) convention at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego tonight.
“The world is in the palm of your hands,” Castañeda said, addressing the room full of student journalists. “The fact that you’re here at such a young age says that you’re going to be successful.”
The NSPA convention in San Diego, themed “Making Waves,” brings together thousands of scholastic newspaper and yearbook staff, editors, and advisors every year. Castañeda was featured as a keynote speaker with other remarks given beforehand by the Journalist of the Year, Jenna Spoont of Conestoga High School.
After detailing her formative years as a budding journalist through a high school in Chicago and college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she discussed her career as a broadcast journalist, a documentary filmmaker, and Chair in the Department of Communications at San Diego City College.
After many years of work on broadcast in Tucson and San Diego, Castañeda premiered her first documentary, The Devil’s Breath, featuring an in-depth look at the San Diego wildfires in 2007 and their effects on groups of undocumented migrants. Castañeda referenced her own bilingual abilities as an asset in her work.
“In this day and age, it can only help you,” she said, encouraging journalists to pursue second languages in academia.
In a response directed to Harker Aquila during the ensuing question and answer period, Castañeda spoke on adversity faced as a Latina woman in the workplace.
“Too many newsrooms are run by white, middle-aged men,” she said. “I don’t want to be a Latina reporter. I want to be a reporter who happens to be Latina. You can bring that extra cultural approach to the table, and I think that you will not face some of those issues that I faced.”
Castañeda later spoke face to face with Harker Aquila after the keynote on ethical challenges occurring while reporting on undocumented immigrants.
“When you become a journalist, you speak out for people who have no voice,” she said. “I never force somebody to do an interview in a language that they’re not comfortable with because they’re never going to be as passionate. I will always protect sources or even a person I was profiling and they didn’t want me to use their real name, I would change their name.”
She concluded that she was optimistic for the future of journalism.
“I am more excited to see what you all do in the field,” she said. “Technology has changed so much that you can do so much more than we were able to do, and so my expectations for you are very high.”
Photos and video by Shay Lari-Hosain
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