About Me
Hello! My name is Itzel Luna and I'm a student journalist and Print Editor-in-Chief of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School's news magazine The Pearl Post. Before that, I was the Managing/Special Reports Editor my junior year and a staff writer my sophomore year. I took an intro to journalism class my freshman year and despite it not being a production class, I was able to get one of my articles published.
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During the past four years, I have immersed myself in journalism, creating a variety of journalistic pieces for publications like The Pearl Post, the Los Angeles Times High School Insider, Best of SNO, PBS Student Reporting Labs, The Princeton Summer Journal and Nuestras Historias Literary Magazine. I have also led my school's news publication staff as an editor, both in-person and virtually, to create strong journalistic pieces.
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On this website, you will find a culmination of the past three years of my journalistic work. Most importantly, you will get an insight into how my passion for reporting has flourished.
Experience
The Pearl Post staff // News Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Manage staff members’ and section editor’s to ensure that the publication runs smoothly.
Lead brainstorming sessions for the entire magazine.
Layout the “News” section pages and edit those stories.
AUG 2020 - present
Los Angeles Time High School Insider // Student Reporter
Jan 2019 - Present
Write and edit articles that are posted on the LA Times High School Insider website.
Awards
Best of SNO (Student News Online) // Student Reporter
Jan 2019 - Present
Wrote two stories and edited five stories that were posted on the Best of SNO (Student News Online) publication.
The Princeton Summer Journal // Student Reporter
June 2020 - Aug 2020
Reported for this publication remotely. My articles were published in online publication & Princeton Summer Journal.
The Pearl Post Staff // Managing Editor
Aug 2019 - June 2020
In this position, I helped redesign the publication and create a new layout when we switched from newspaper to newsmagazine for the first time.
JEA/National Scholastic Press Association
Nov 21, 2020
"Excellent" in the News Writing Category
The Pearl Post // Staff Writer
Aug 2018 - June 2019
I wrote stories and took photos for the school newspaper, website and yearbook.
Cal State University Northridge High School Journalism Day
Oct 17, 2020
First place in the newswriting category
Oct 19, 2019
Second place in the newswriting category
April 27, 2019
Online Pacemaker Award
"Honorable Mention" in the News Category
First place in Best of Show for schools with less than 1,500 students
Los Angeles Press Club
June 30, 2019 & July 6, 2020
I was a finalist twice for the "Best News Writing" category; one in 2019 and one in 2020.
Awarded a $1,000 Frontiers Scholarship
The Pearl Post staff was awarded the “Best High School Newspaper” award for the fourth consecutive year (2019).
Jolene Combs Scholarship
March 16, 2019
A $500 scholarship given to students and teachers who show impressive journalistic achievements. The scholarship is awarded by the Southern California Journalism Education Association.