Abby Stone ‘26 and Fei Fei Cao ‘27
“Hey Fei Fei! You are on the Yale Daily News Spring Symposium call, right? I think I see you,” sent from Abby Stone’s iPhone at 6:03 pm on March 11th, 2025.
“Omg, yes!! Hi Abby. So glad someone else from St. Mark’s is on this. Phew,” sent from Fei Fei Cao’s iPhone at 6:04 pm on March 11th, 2025.
That was how it all started.
Both of us joined the Yale Daily News Spring Symposium not knowing exactly what to expect. We had no idea how quickly the week would become one of the most meaningful academic and personal experiences of our year. Over five days, we worked closely with a small group of high school students from across the globe, mentored by Yale students who guided us through the process of pitching, writing, and editing articles.
It was all on Zoom, yet these two-hour nightly sessions felt very personal. The energy of the program was real, and so was the sense of community. We dove into conversations about ethics in journalism, the role of student reporting, and how writing can shape change. With each session, we gained a deeper understanding of the craft and a better sense of how our own voices could matter.
One of the most unforgettable parts of the week was meeting our fellow participant Tariq, a passionate youth journalist and activist from Nigeria. He spoke with such clarity and urgency about the challenges of reporting in a country where news is censored and young people are often discouraged from speaking out. Despite those barriers, Tariq had already written a viral open letter to the Nigerian government that received over 900,000 views. Hearing him talk about advocacy, censorship, and youth power shifted the way we thought about journalism.
What struck us most was how confident and grounded he was, even while navigating such serious issues. We were so inspired by his perspective that we reached out to him again a month later to continue the conversation. It turns out, our incredible new friend had even more to share.
Tariq’s dream is to enter the global communications and entertainment industry, possibly as a screenwriter or director, but he remains deeply committed to empowering other young Nigerians and using storytelling as a force for change.
As Fei Fei put it after the program, “Meeting Tariq made me realize how journalism can live outside the boundaries of a newspaper. It can live in how we show up in the world.” Abby added, “The Symposium reminded me that our voices are valid now, not just in the future. And when we write with purpose, people pay attention.”
The Yale Daily News Spring Symposium gave us tools, yes. But more importantly, it gave us a moment to pause, reflect, and imagine how we want to use storytelling in our own lives. It showed us the kind of writers, reporters, and changemakers we can become if we keep listening, learning, and lifting up voices that deserve to be heard.