As a friend lines up their camera to snap a photo of a memory, Margaret Cartee (12), slightly camera shy, ducks down and turns away from the lens. But once she puts on her press pass and moves behind the camera, Margaret transforms into a confident reporter, running up and down the sideline of the court as she snaps photos of players and the audience. Focused and driven, she strives to turn the memories of other people into articles to share and remember.

In ninth grade, Margaret joined the Intro to Journalism class as a way to combine her interests of drawing and writing. As a reporter the next year, she found her passion for opinion writing, which, to Margaret, acts as a way to share and express her own opinions.

“I could write about all these ideas I had, but write about them in a very different way than how you would write an English class,” Margaret said. “Because you have to include a lot of stuff about personal stories and also statistics, and some examples from real life, opinions [were] a very interesting mix of stuff.”

In writing opinions, Margaret finds the process of in depth learning especially rewarding. Furthermore, Margaret loves to be able to tell people’s individual stories and see them be appreciated by the whole Harker community. 

“Even if you’re not writing Humans of Harker, even if you’re doing news or opinions, being able to represent someone else’s opinion, speak for someone else who doesn’t have a voice, or cover senior night or something that’s really important to people, it really serves the community,” Margaret said. “I love how much journalism can help other people in that way.”

As the opinions editor last year, Margaret wrote and edited editorials. These articles undergo a rigorous process of editing and rewriting to accurately portray the views of the editorial board. Director of Journalism Whitney Huang, who often worked closely with Margaret on editing the editorials, notes her work ethic in all aspects of journalism.

“There are certain people who just do whatever’s needed, and they pass by that bare minimum,” Huang said. “Margaret always just goes above and beyond. Even with her own illustrations and what not that she’s done, whether it’s for the editorial or opinion pieces or other pieces, she’s shown that she’s highly adaptable as well open to constructive criticism and feedback, to figuring out how she can be the best for whatever situation that is.”

While Margaret learns from her feedback, she appreciates how in every article, each student journalist along with their editors pitches in to write the most comprehensive article. She enjoys working in a community which prioritizes self-improvement and builds friendships across grades.

“I like the collaborative culture and also being able to improve your skills as you go through edits, as you write more articles and do more illustrations,” Margaret said. “It’s a really great thing to be a part of because you really learn a lot about yourself and about the people that you’re with.”

Margaret frequently takes steps to help out underclassmen in journalism by reaching out through texts and giving tips on InDesign, the software used by Harker Journalism for designing page layouts. Fellow journalist Yifan Li (11) appreciates Margaret as a valuable source of advice and a friend to lean on.

“I started really bonding with Margaret because she was also in journalism at the time,” Yifan said. “She really acted both as a mentor and as a great support for me. And then, hopefully, I was also able to do the same for her where we would support each other with articles.”

Similarly, Margaret values teamwork and collaboration in volleyball. Unlike other sports, the net in volleyball acts as a clear divide between opponents and teammates, resulting in a need for extra communication between players. Those moments of talking on the court translate to a supportive community off the court.

“Everyone’s trying to help each other to get better, and everyone’s trying their hardest to get better and to make their teammates better,” Margaret said. “I really love the teamwork that goes into it and how much everyone is also committing to it. That’s part of what makes it so special because everyone’s into it, and everyone’s really trying their hardest, and that’s how you get better as a team.”

Close friend Tiana Salvi (11), who met Margaret through volleyball, bonded with her over their shared interests in drawing and volleyball. Tiana values the advice that Margaret gave her about classes and teachers, as well as the example she sets.

“I really admire her work ethic,” Tiana said. “She always does her best with everything. She’s hard on herself because she’s a perfectionist to the maximum sense of perfectionist, but that perfectionism really translates into her work.”

Both journalism and volleyball provide Margaret a space to grow while becoming places of building connections and relationships. In turn, Margaret hopes to pass on her experiences to the next generation and foster the same culture that made these activities so valuable to her.

“The most rewarding part of collaboration with other people and being in a community is that you can rely on each other and you can learn from each other,” Margaret said. “It’s a great way to stay engaged with others, especially since at Harker, it can be so competitive and so hyper focused on the individual that really journalism and volleyball are like these places where it’s not like that: where you can really feel comfortable being around other people.”