Writing
Prior to joining The Knight Crier, I only knew how to write middle school level Text Dependent Analyses (TDA). I didn’t understand the ins and outs of conducting an interview and then transforming that into a well-written piece, while also prioritizing concision and focusing on the key aspects.
This class changed how I approach writing and allowed me to find my own voice. Below are examples of my favorite pieces I’ve published. I’ve published well over 100 articles in the past 3 years, so I’ll be honest, it was a difficult selection. To read more, click the following links.
https://www.knightcrier.org/staff_name/hannah-nguyen/
https://www.getintouchinc.org/keep-up-with-us
https://www.unpublishedzine.com/activism?author=5f5954b1358ed16b83bb90eb
Features
Have you ever experienced love at first sight? When I dipped my toes into feature writing, let’s just say, I instantly fell in love.
I was always a pretty shy kid. I was terrified of the idea of talking to people outside of my family or friend group—no seriously, I would have to practice my order before the waiter came to my table at a restaurant.
I was once asked if I was friends with a person I wrote about because the article was that in-dept. I’ve had 2 hour conversations with people I have never encountered in person, prior to their interviews, in my life. Feature writing, especially the interviews, gave me the confidence my younger self would dream of having. After writing my first feature article back in sophomore year, I was immediately drawn to the idea of writing about people.
Max effort leading to music success
Published: February 7, 2021, The Knight Crier
About: While I was listening to a lecture in my AP Government class, my eyes scanned over the tiles of the Google Meet screen and was distracted by one particular student. He was playing the bass guitar and was surrounded by his own mini studio within his bedroom. I knew he had an awesome story to tell, so I contacted him on Instagram asking if he would like to be interviewed. We had an awesome chat, and I wrote this detailed article about his music career that began when he was just a child.
Read the article here.
(Submitted Photo: Sophia Boyer)
Moxiewrrld: Clothes That Will Make You a Force to Be Reckoned With
Published: January 3, 2021, Unpublished Magazine
About: Sophia Boyer, the mastermind behind Moxiewrrld, a unique clothing business inspired by 90s and Y2K fashion. I had the chance to sit down with Boyer and learn about how she established her business.
Read the article here.
(Image would not upload, so I had to find one off of Unsplash)
A Reserved Student to a Passionate Leader: Harriet Go Visualizes a World of Possibilities
Published: July 27, 2020, Get in Touch! inc.
About: Harriet Go has been blind her entire life. I wrote this article to tell her incredible story and to show seeing people that blind people are just as capable of accomplishing amazing things as they are. I wanted to show how disability did not mean inability. Interviewing her was such an awesome experience and I not only learned things about the blind community, but I also learned perseverance through her experiences.
Read the article here.
After suffering what she thought was just a normal panic attack one day, Arianna Simpson realized how fast life can change in any moment. Just a couple years after the panic attack that made her lose her ability to walk, she is now able to do more than she could ever imagine before. (Submitted Photo: Arianna Simpson)
One step at a time for Arianna Simpson
Published: March 5, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: After suffering a panic attack, Arianna Simpson lost her ability to walk. She followed me on Instagram one day and I saw bits of her story come through her posts, and I wanted to know more. We set up an interview and I learned her incredible story.
Read the article here.
Cassi Lambert under the stadium lights at North Penn’s Homecoming. (Credit: Marissa Werner)
C is for courage: Cassi Lambert thrives after crushing cancer
Published: December 9, 2018, The Knight Crier
About: I met Cassi at a Friendsgiving party in 2018. She had an awesome personality and I learned that she recently fought cancer. I had never met a person who had cancer, let alone someone who crushed it, in my life. I asked her if I could write a story about her and she agreed. It was one of my first few pieces that made me emotional writing it. It was an interview I would never forget.
Read the article here.
For as long as they could remember, Kate Stechert (L) and Danielle Staber (R) had to deal with the struggle of proving their Asian side. (Submitted photos but edited by Hannah Nguyen)
Stuck between two worlds: the struggle of not being “Asian enough”
Published: May 15, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: Throughout my life, I always struggled with the idea of not being “Asian enough,” I considered writing a personal piece on myself, but I thought it would be better to write about two girls, Kate and Dani. Kate was adopted from China and Dani is biracial. I wanted to learn their experiences growing up not being your “average” Asian.
Read the article here.
(Submitted Photos but edited into a collage by Hannah Nguyen)
Going against the grain
Published: May 28, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, I wanted to highlight all of the Asian teachers at school. Considering that there were only 4 teachers (one was not featured in this article), it was an easy task. I got to learn their experience growing up Asian and also talked about their thoughts on the rise of hatred towards our community.
Read the article here.
Graphic by Olivia Nguyen
Self Started, Self Made, Self Run: How three girls turned a hobby into a profession
Published: October 11, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: Online thrift stores like Depop, Poshmark, and ThredUp originally were the most popular ways of purchasing and selling second hand clothing. During the shutdown, many people turned to the internet to sell their clothes but decided to start it up on Instagram. These 3 girls saw the perfect opportunity to make some cash while things were closed and manage to find success in doing so.
Read the article here.
Mya Richter posing with her first published book “The Death of the Blood Queen.” (Submitted Photo: Mya Richter)
Published progeny: NP’s Mya Richter carrying on family legacy of writing
Published: October 26, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: Mya Richter loved to write. We were in the same geometry class in 10th grade and I remember her talking about her passion for writing stories and how she randomly managed to find someone to edit a story she wrote. When she entered her senior year, she was a published author.
Read the article here.
(Submitted Photo)
Diegue and Bauer serving new conversations at the dinner table
Published: October 31, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: Our superintendent had a podcast called Bauer Hour where he spoke about district news to better inform the staff of what was going on, as well as current news that he felt was relevant to discuss. After he invited our assistant principal and the assistant director of human resources on the podcast to talk about the social unrest regarding police brutality, he came up with the idea to start a podcast specifically about race and diversity.
Read the article here.
(Credit: Kevin Manero)
Our own history book: the Accolade in an absent year
Published: November 24, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: Our yearbook documents an entire year’s worth of memories. Due to hybrid learning and the lack of normalcy this school year, the yearbook staff had to make some changes. I wrote an article that got the inside scoop of how they’re doing.
Read the article here.
News
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I wasn’t able to cover as many events as I used to. Looking back at all of the news I reported on, I miss the excitement of running around trying to get as many details as I possibly could through interviews and my observations. Below are some of my best pieces.
North Penn School Board candidates discussing the significance of diversity in the North Penn School District. From left to right are candidates Cathy Wesley, Elisha Gee, Dan Bell, Wanda Lewis-Campbell, and Ned Smith. (Credit: Hannah Nguyen)
Ambler NAACP presents town hall for school board candidates
Published: October 29, 2019, The Knight Crier
About: It was election season and our school board had open spots that were ready to be taken. As part of their campaigning process, the candidates took part in a discussion about diversity hosted by the Ambler NAACP. I was the only reporter on this night and it was incredible to hear the candidates speak on such relevant topics involving our district.
Read the article here.
(Credit: Hannah Nguyen)
NPHS students participate in Walton Farm STEM night
Published: April 2, 2019, The Knight Crier
About: The chemistry club at our school attended a STEM night at an elementary school and did a presentation for the kids. The 6th graders at that school presented their science projects and the robotics team showed off their robot.
Read the article here.
Members of the Enact Club pose for a picture after their meeting with North Penn administration about reducing waste in the school cafeteria. (Credit: Hannah Nguyen)
North Penn Enact Club discusses reducing cafeteria waste
Published: March 13, 2019, The Knight Crier
About: Our school’s environmental club, EnAct, invited the cafeteria and custodial staff to discuss food waste at North Penn and how we can, as a team, reduce it. I attended the meeting and covered it.
Read the article here.
(Credit: Hannah Nguyen)
Looking back on electronic midterm tests
Published: March 5, 2019, The Knight Crier
About: When our school transitioned to digital midterm and final exams, students and staff grew frustrated. As a school, we spent a few weeks practicing the platform. I covered how it went.
Read the article here.
Opinion
Opinion pieces remind me of the opportunities I have to raise my voice on the things I care about. They allow my readers to enter my mind and listen to what I have to say.
Collage by Yinne Smith
Essentialism, Not Consumerism
Published: September 15, 2020, Unpublished Magazine
About: When I completely transitioned away from fast fashion and started purchasing second-hand clothing, I knew I had to change my shopping habits. Thrifting alone wasn’t good enough. I had to be mindful of the things I bought and not go on shopping sprees for the sake of saving the planet… and my wallet. I saw many threads on the internet telling people to not thrift if they have the money and instead, buy from sustainable brands. Here’s why I disagreed.
Read the article here.
Graphic by Yinne Smith
The Rise of Instagram Infographics and How We Should Interact With Them
Published: October 14, 2020, Unpublished Magazine
About: After the death of George Floyd, there was a rise in social media activism. Some had the intention of sparking real change, while others saw it as a “trend” they had to follow.
Read the article here.
For sixteen years, I was silent about racism towards Asians. After the outbreak of COVID-19, it made me realize I had to speak up for the sake of those who are victims and for people to realize how big of an issue this is. (Credit: Hannah Nguyen)
OPINION: The forgotten race
Published: April 4, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: I’m glad I was never the victim of a hate crime due to my race. But my privilege made me ignorant about the victims within my own community. As Covid-19 began to spread, so did racism. I knew racism towards Asians existed, yet I remained silent for most of my life, but I finally decided to change things… for the better.
2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Philadelphia Region - Silver Medal
Read the article here.
Democratic presidential candidate entrepreneur Andrew Yang speaks during the New Hampshire Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
OPINION: In response to Andrew Yang’s Op-Ed
Published: April 6, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: In the midst of continuous social unrest, one controversial statement can cause outrage within a community. When Asian-American entrepreneur and politician Andrew Yang wrote an article for The Washington Post about the rise of xenophobia towards Asians, many people within the Asian community were furious about his comment about them having to embrace their American identities. Here’s why I supported what he had to say.
Read the article here.
OPINION: The talk about sustainability needs to be inclusive
Published: April 21, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: When I began exploring the world of sustainability, I was convinced that every action I took had to be perfect—and I expected everyone else to be perfect as well. Over the years, however, I learned that there are so many factors in other people’s live, including my own, that affect one’s approach in living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. I realized that it’s not all about the perfect things you do for the planet, but it’s about all the effort you put in doing your part. This article was my attempt at changing how we view sustainability.
Read the article here.
Sustainability isn’t about buying new things or being perfect, it’s about doing what you can to help others and the planet. (Credit: Hannah Nguyen)
From left: Carrie Bramlette, Kelli Silva and her daughter wave their signs to protest the closure of Texas at the East Texas Freedom Coalition’s protest at Tyler City Hall. (Credit: Ben Fenton)
OPINION: Social distancing is a privilege
Published: May 3, 2020, The Knight Crier
About: As I was scrolling through my Instagram feed during one evening in May, I stumbled upon post upon posts of my peers and of complete strangers breaking social distancing guidelines in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was fueled with anger. I didn’t understand how people could be so selfish and irresponsible. Instead of continuing to scroll, I decided to write about my feelings. 2 hours later, the article was up on the site.
Read the article here.