As a fourth-grader, Yeonseo Seok (12) would go to the library almost twice every week—each time, filling up a tote bag to the brim with new books. After each trip, Seok would lug the bag home, sit down right at her front door, and read for hours until every single book she had checked out was finished. 

Seok, amazed by the stories she read, became fascinated with storytelling. She loved watching the news, hearing stories of what was happening in the world and in her community. Inspired by what she saw on T.V., 10-year-old Seok would act out pretend news segments—using fake microphones and imaginary cameras to replicate what she saw live. 

As Seok grew older, however, her fascination with storytelling and reporting began to fade. She didn’t think much about it again until her freshman year, when, due to an error in her schedule, was placed in the Broadcasting Journalism class. 

“[At first] I didn’t want to join [the class], I thought it was just doing school announcements,” Seok said. “But then, after I really started getting at it and producing my own stories it was something that I found was really gratifying.”

As she continued with the class through her freshman year, Seok fell in love with all aspects of broadcast journalism—filming, editing, voicing stories, and putting together the audio and visual components to create a complete news segment. 

“Everything about it was just really satisfying,” Seok said. “So every year, I took the class, and I think every year, I improved.” 

As Seok became more involved with Westview’s Newscast team, she found herself participating in more opportunities to gain further experience in the field. 

During her junior year, Seok was chosen to intern for the Poway Unified School District-run 701 Digital Media Internship where, along with other PUSD high school interns—and under the guidance of Rancho Bernardo High School’s Digital Media teacher, Ross Callen, and the district’s Chief Communications Officer, Christine Paik—she helps to create promotional videos that are played at monthly school board meetings.  

“The people in the internship are like the top of the top digital media students in our district,” Seok said. “I was introduced to a whole other level [of digital media production especially because] Rancho Bernardo has so many talented filmmakers and we’re working with really complicated cameras and all that. I think it provided me with a valuable experience that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.” 

In addition to the 701 Digital Media Internship, Seok was chosen to be a Summer Academy Fellow for PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, a program that encourages youth voice in the media, the summer before her senior year. According to Seok, the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs has worked closely with Westview Newscast before, providing the team with prompts to create different news packages. 

“A couple months ago, we produced a story about virtual learning with electives,” Seok said. “And so we interviewed [different Westview students about their experiences] and that gained a lot of traction on [the PBS] Facebook and YouTube.”

From the stories she produced through her 10-week fellowship, like profiling a local business owner as they implemented safe reopening plans, and the packages she helped create in Newscast, Seok was nominated, and eventually chosen, by a group of PBS reporters as a 20 under 20 up-and-coming storyteller. 

Through Broadcast Journalism, Seok has been able to connect with her community in the same way as the news reporters she once watched on T.V. as a 10-year-old did.

“I’ve met so many people I normally would have never talked to and I’ve connected with so many people around the community,” Seok said. “As I dabbled through these different opportunities, [both in and] out of school, the more I got myself into [broadcast journalism]. The deeper I got myself into it, I realized it was something I wanted to do.”