By Hanying Jiang
Though my internship with the Summer Journalism Program (SJP) ended on August 16th, I imagine I’m never going to be able to leave this program. I have many thanks for the program. As a student participant, I was given an opportunity to really surround myself with people who shared the same intellectual curiosity as me. As an intern, I was given the opportunity to create the schedule and manage the events for a new batch of curious and determined students.
Admittedly, the days planning the program were relatively uneventful — it was a typical 9 to 5 job with a lot of spreadsheeting. At that point, it was hard to tell what we’re actually trying to achieve.
On August 2nd, the program officially began with the arrival of our students. I remember running between terminals at Newark Airport and meeting each student who flew in. I was finally able to put faces to the biographies and essays that I read throughout the summer. I gave each of them a big hug — seeing them, I realize that the priority for the next ten days was to make sure they enjoy every moment.
The rest was pretty blurry. I remember late nights and early mornings, running across Friend Center to greet each interviewer who came through the doors, power-walking from building to building to ensure we were on time, laughing with the students at the back of the bus to New York, and belting songs from the “Hamilton” soundtrack throughout the days. Time moved slower during the ten days, but I didn’t feel tired at all. I felt energized every time I talked to the students.
They started repeating a catchphrase I used during the program: “walk with urgency.” They started being more casual, joking with and teasing me. They gave me hugs when I seemed particularly stressed. One student ran up to me one day while FaceTiming her mom and introduced us. In those moments, I didn’t mind being sleep deprived at all.
There were most definitely harder moments. The students come from tough backgrounds, and it broke my heart hearing their stories. But they’re not defined by their sad stories, they all have so much more to them. All of them are incredibly resilient.
Hearing their struggles solidified my choice to enter the field of education. There are so many brilliant, kind, and hardworking students out there — they all deserve a chance to empower themselves. The best way to do so, in my opinion, is through providing increased access to quality education, opening them to a world of opportunities, and exposing them to new experiences.
I plan on checking in on every 36 student in the next year, making sure that they can always reach out to me for help. For local students, I’ve already offered them meal swipes if they were to ever visit.
I genuinely love this group of kids and every counselor who supported this program. The Princeton Summer Journalism Program will always have a special place in my heart.
