Sammamish Independent awards four scholarships to local youth
Each year, the Sammamish Independent awards scholarships to the youth who work tirelessly to find stories, conduct interviews, and write articles. It is because of their efforts that our community can enjoy independent news coverage.
This year, we are proud to announce four scholarship winners. They will each receive $2,000 to help with their upcoming college expenses.
We are incredibly grateful for their service to our community, and wish them best of luck as they head to college. We would like to recognize them, and share their own words as they reflect on their experience writing for the Sammamish Independent.
Ananya Gupta, Editor in Chief
Skyline High School, Class of 2024
College: Case Western Reserve University
“I think one of biggest learnings was how to construct a story out of bits and pieces of information. I feel like in school, we were taught to find information to fit a given story, so this reversal was new to me and I anticipate that it will be valuable in my future.”
Echo He, Business Reporter
Skyline High School, Class of 2024
College: University of Washington
“By covering the stories around my local community, I was able to learn more about what’s going on in Sammamish and featuring their stories. It makes me proud when I think about it, that I can also participate in my community in this unique way — as the storyteller.”
Tanya Jain, Education Editor
Skyline High School, Class of 2024
College: Purdue University
“The most important piece of feedback I would give to future generations of Indy reporters is becoming more aware of your local community, school campus, etc. because it can often trigger story ideas regarding local issues, events, openings of businesses, and much more within Sammamish.”
Shriya Sundar, City Hall Reporter
Skyline High School, Class of 2024
College: University of Washington
“My favorite experience was getting involved in city hall and elections coverage because I’m really interested in politics and law, and will be studying it in college. Through writing these articles I gained a lot more insight into the inner workings of city governance and election tactics that were applicable right in Sammamish. Especially after facing backlash, whether it was through an evasive email advising me to ‘research more’ or a YouTube video calling my article ‘misleading,’ I learned about what questions to ask, how to ask, and most importantly to judge sincerity of answers to accurately report on the topic.”
