Mariana

"Politics is one of the most important things you can focus on. It affects you."

By Students of NYC

March 6^th, 2026

“I’m a senior editor for The Verdict at Benjamin Cardozo High School. I cover the beats for World News and Arts and Entertainment. It’s all lingo I’ve picked up from my teacher, Ms. Gutterman. I first joined junior year as a reporter. We have pitch meetings in class. It’s one period a day. We get press passes and wear them so we can walk around and do our interviews. Sometimes I use my free periods. I’ve always liked writing, but journalism made it feel bigger. More important. I was always shy. Writing was how I’d put on paper what I was feeling instead of having to verbally communicate. When I get to write things down, I can think and make sure my message is clear.

Last year, I was writing an article about the presidential election. I was trying to get perspectives from everyone. I’ve had to learn how to ask and create questions that are not divisive. Careful with the language I used and the questions I ask. It helps to protect the source. It also helps to protect the conversation. I don’t want to tell people how to feel. I’m not that kind of writer. I want to spread accurate, honest information so people can take that information and create their own beliefs. I’ve always been really curious and liked listening to people. You can learn so much about someone by how they talk. What words they choose. What’s happening in their life. That wasn’t always easy for me. I remember once I was interviewing another student about Trump, and I couldn’t understand her perspective at first. But everyone has their own reasons. Trying to understand why they feel that way matters. But empathy is important. It’s always important to listen to another point of view and find out why they have that point of view. You have to stay hopeful and be open to collaboration. What a lot of people don’t really have right now is respect for one another. They don't realize, we don't owe each other anything. We just need to listen.

Both of my parents are immigrants from Colombia. My dad is a firefighter captain. He doesn’t talk about it much, but there were times when he faced racism — when someone he was helping didn’t want him because of his accent. He’s one of the kindest people I know. No matter how other people treat him, he doesn’t let it get to him. I have a lot of memories of him being called in to do extra work at the fire department. No matter what, he was ready to come in. It showed me how important it was to show up for others. My mom teaches math at Queensborough Community College. I grew up on that campus. I learned to swim in that pool. I remember coming with my dad after school to help my mom organize her files. Their work instilled in me the importance of giving back. And they like that I focus on politics. They think it’s pretty important. Growing up, there were always conversations over dinner about their days. They would turn up the volume of the news while watching. It wasn’t optional — I had to listen. They taught me to be aware of what’s happening around us, because it affects us.

I want to be a professional journalist one day. Journalism is a public service. It’s a link between government and people. It connects so many people. I’d love to report more on the ground. I’m really interested in the UN and human rights. I’ve seen reporters who go to South Sudan to cover the conflict that’s happening there. You have more of an on-the-ground impact when you can talk to the people who live there — military officers, hospitals — to see how people are being impacted. I would love to go even where war is happening. I’m able, so I want to. It’s important work. Politics is one of the most important things you can focus on. It affects you. If you don’t stay aware, it’s going to catch up to you. Right now especially, political literacy is low. I want to help combat that so people can understand."