Announcing Hongning Wang as our next editor in chief
In continuing our goal to keep the Sammamish Independent student-run, we are proud to announce that Hongning Wang will be our new editor-in-chief.
Mr. Wang is currently a junior at Eastlake High School. He joined our paper in April 2022 as a city hall reporter. He covered various topics surrounding our city government, such as the historic selections of Kali Clark and Amy Lam as mayor and deputy mayor, as well as the city’s new parks and recreation plan.
He then became editor of city hall news in the summer of 2023. Shortly after his promotion, Mr. Wang took charge of managing coverage for the 2023 city council elections. He wrote about many of the stories that helped to define this election cycle, including the first candidate forum and the weekly coffee with candidates event. Mr. Wang also moderated the 2023 Sammamish Independent City Council Candidate Forum.
As editor in chief, Mr. Wang said he hopes to “cultivate stronger community connections and enhance awareness of diverse perspectives and events among residents.”
Outside of the Sammamish Independent, Mr. Wang works to create opportunities for youth to develop their talents. As a co-president of Eastlake’s Computer Science Outreach Council, he leads events such as hackathons for elementary and middle school students. In addition, he promotes youth participation in local government through his involvement with the Sammamish Youth Board.
Mr. Wang will take over the position of editor in chief from Ananya Gupta, who will be graduating from Skyline High School in June.
Our staff has no doubt that Mr. Wang will excel as editor in chief. We are excited to see how he will apply his talents and bring our newspaper to new heights.
