Oklahoma Institute for Duty to Journalism

Category archive

2015 Archive - page 4

Viviana Morena

by

Viviana Moreno describes herself as “sarcastic and blunt” as a result of experiences she had as a young girl. She is a first-generation Mexican American, who plans to be the first member of her family to go to college. Moreno said she already have faced many obstacles in her 17 years, such as a controlling father, the recession of 2008, odd jobs, divorce and homelessness. Moreno describes her younger years as ordinary, living near Phoenix in the mountains. Her father, Horacio, worked in construction, while her mother, Maria; older sister, Estefany; and two younger brothers, Brian, who has autism, and…

Morgan Ashcraft

by

Morgan Ashcraft is a unique girl, someone who prides herself on standing out from the crowd. With her complex and multi-layered nature, she’s absolutely one-of-a-kind. Unlike many teenagers her age, Ashcraft is interested in foreign affairs, particularly the Middle East. She is fascinated to learn about people’s stories and the problems in that area compared with Oklahoma. Ashcraft is unique in that she is open-minded on religion. While she is not particularly religious, she said she never says no to the possibility of something existing beyond earthly matters. Some people have a fairly set-in-stone belief system about what comes after…

Lyric Hill

by

If you were to look over your shoulder while standing in the middle of a busy lunchroom, you may find Lyric Hill tucked away in a booth, indulged in a new anime series. Hill, a 16-year-old Barryville native, moved to Sapulpa, Okla., when she was just 4 years old, then later a more intense transition to Little Axe, Okla., her freshman year. “Sapulpa is probably 3 times the size of Little Axe,” she said, adding that the move was hard on her. Hill comes from a family with unique first and middle names. In addition to Lyric Zeda, there are…

Sierra Brown

by

Sierra Brown is a junior at Deer Creek High School, where she is involved with many school clubs, such as Youth and Government. The club has four different branches: judicial, legislative, media and lobbyist. Sierra’s favorite branch is judicial, because it has the drama and excitement of trials. She has been involved in in the legislative, media, and judicial branches. This upcoming year, she will be an attorney in the club, and plans to run for a judge position. Other clubs Brown is involved in are Link Crew, Key Club, National Honors Society, debate, the school newspaper and biology labs…

Janki Patel

by

Though born and raised in Oklahoma, Westmoore High School senior Janki Patel is hoping to branch out to New York City by becoming a magazine editor in the fashion industry. Patel’s mornings consists of unraveling in a cup of coffee and double-checking her latest homework assignments on her laptop — more than likely last-minute edits to her high school’s yearbook. Patel has been the editor-in-chief for two years. Along with being elected Overall Successful Yearbook Staff Member in her school, Patel has won numerous awards at Oklahoma Scholastic Media, a conference that’s dedicated to high school journalists. But her aspiration…

Mindy Johnson

by

At age 16, Melinda “Mindy” Johnson is among the oldest of 17 siblings ranging in age from 23 years old to 3 months old. Although her family if comprised of biological, step- and adopted siblings, Johnson said, “I consider them all biological brothers and sisters.” Zach, 23, is the oldest, followed by Catherine, 21; Steven, 18; Alicia, 17; Mindy and Dillon, 14; Blake, 13; Madison, 12; Breanna, 12; Lance, 12; Lexi, 11; Eric, 8; Jade, 8; Xander, 5; Tractor, 4; Aiden, 3; and Kayge, 3 months. All 17 members of the family do not live in the same house. Lance,…

Destyni Williams

by

Destyni Williams came to realize her love for traveling after growing up hearing the many stories from her grandmother on her own traveling experiences. Hearing her grandmother’s adventures in a variety of places, including New York and Mexico, Williams began to feel wanderlust to explore new places. Over time, she had friends who added in their stories from traveling, which sparked her interest further. Williams also loved seeing movies that featured a unique location setting and had an interesting background to them. She grew up watching the “Cheetah Girls” movies, and has wanted to visit Barcelona ever since. She always…

Katherine Livingston

by

Katherine Livingston sat in the chair, almost incapable of containing the excitement she had, adrenaline pumping through as she stared out the window. In front of her was a clear sky with a clash of beautiful patchy colors forming odd-shaped fields of the landscape below. Her eyes widened at the sight of a crystal sea stretching as far as the eye could see as the aircraft rode the coastline of Oaxaca, Mexico. As the plane’s nose tipped towards the destination, she tried to locate her Christian mission’s base camp. Livingston’s stomach rose upward as the wheels connected with the pavement,…

Ravyn Whitebird

by

Twelve-year-old Ravyn Whitebird stared across the empty classroom in shock. She could hear the snickers of girls filing in behind her as they came in from recess. The room was littered with loose-leaf paper torn from her sketchbook. She began to pick up the pages, each one revealing a new insult scribbled in red ink over her artwork. Face red with embarrassment, Whitebird stuffed them in the trash and ran to the restroom crying. Despite being humiliated by the event, she knew nothing could deter her from drawing. It was then that Whitebird realized how deep her dedication to art…

Isabelle Ruiz

by

Throughout her life, Isabelle Ruiz, 17, a senior at Del City High School, has fought adversity head-on and stayed calm under pressure. She remains positive despite many life-changing experiences. When Ruiz was 7, Aaron Brooks, her 1-year-old half-brother, was hit on the back of the head as he crawled under a car that started moving. “Luckily, he was still young so he bounced back and made a full recovery,” Ruiz said. “Now, he’s one of the smartest kids I know.” That year, Ruiz also dealt with the death of a relative for the first time. One night, her uncle George’s…

1 2 3 4
Go to Top