Miami Lakes Educational Center’s (MLEC) student newspaper, The Harbinger, has come up with a campus-wide hashtag, #HOMLEC, or Humans of Miami Lakes Educational Center.
Inspired by Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton, students have to find someone they’ve never met or talked to before and try to find out a personal detail about their subject’s life that others may not know about. Themes can range from issues at home, bullying or academic struggles. Students then decide in-class whether the photo of the subject and their background story would be appropriate to share on social media.
The hashtag was created back in 2016 by Maria Vazquez, who is now in Florida State University. Current senior Alexandra Reboredo is editor-in-chief of the newspaper as well as the yearbook. She also helps oversee the photos before posting them on social media sites.
Reboredo holds herself to the caliber of a professional journalist, even at just 17 years old. She is expected to attend Hamilton College in New York to pursue her passion in Journalism. She’s also attending under the Posse scholarship, a grant that provides a fully paid four-year degree.
Supervised by teacher Neyda Borges, the class runs like a small newsroom. Once the time comes to present their photo and story, classmates discuss what needs fixing. Rather than focusing on grades, they discuss what they can do to improve themselves as student journalists.
“It became something way bigger than we imagined,” Said Reboredo.
At the beginning of every year, students at MLEC anticipate one of these rookie journalists coming up to them asking to share their story. Their subjects can range from fellow students to security guards, teachers and other members of MLEC’s staff. But besides practicing for their future careers, Reboredo emphasizes the important role this project plays in her school’s community.
“We create a connection with that person we interview, because in order to get the personal story we can’t just say ‘hey, tell me something no one knows about,’” Reboredo said. “We create a bond with one another so they know they have an emotional support system. A lot of the time it makes them realize that people they may not know at school can be just as supportive as their closest friends.”
To view these #HOMLEC stories, visit their Twitter at @HarbingerMLEC or visit their website at www.mlecharbinger.wordpress.com.