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Gulliver Prep senior Samantha Gitlin is Gulliver’s Silver Knight nominee for Journalism.
“Newspaper has been a big part of my high school experience,” she says.
She attended the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism Summer Program, spending four weeks learning journalism, including learning about video production, writing, radio and ethics.
Gitlin is the Editor in Chief of the school newspaper The Raider Voice, overseeing a staff of 15.
“Our paper is online, and we publish daily. We try to publish in all of our sections every week as well as posting on social media,” she says. “We have a social media team who uses Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok.”
Her Silver Knight project is called Break the Bias where she works to illuminate the complexities of racism and bias.
“I tried to create a platform for other people to use their voices and give them a safe space,” she says.
The idea was sparked by her reaction to Ye’s (Kanye West) now deleted tweet saying he was going DEFCON 3 on Jewish people.
“As a Jewish person, it was scary and it hurt,” she says. “This idea came to me to talk about it in a community setting. I realized it wasn’t just Jewish people who face the hate.”
The first event was a townhall type panel discussion with six panelists from various backgrounds. She came up with the concept, helped to organize the event and then moderated the panel.
The panel included a rabbi from Temple Beth Am, a Black pastor, a Hispanic councilwoman from the Village of Pinecrest, a Black high school student, an LGBTQ+ high school student and an Asian student.
Miami-Dade School Board member Luisa Santos spoke as did Dr. Miriam Lipski from the University of Miami.
“Dr. Lipsky specializes in DEI dialogue,” Gitlin says. “It’s like learning a new way of speaking. You want to make sure your voice is heard, while doing so without offending anyone.”
The first panel took place last March at Pinecrest Gardens and was attended by almost 300 people.
“The event left everyone feeling hopeful,” she says.
Break the Bias panels will be a part of the City of Miami on their Diversity Day. In fact, the Break the Bias event won the Julia Tuttle Award from the City of Miami.
“We are working with the University of Miami to bring Break the Bias in the Fall,” she says.
“I will be at college, but I will hopefully be a part of the project.”
The Unbiased Initiative at Temple Beth Am is taking on the project and is working with her to keep it going.
She also hopes to take it to Tulane University where she will attend college.
Her community service also includes a two year-long Fellowship with School Board member Santos. She continues to work with her as a volunteer.
“I researched policies being passed both in the county and the state,” she says. “I wrote many policy briefs. I helped re-write the bullying and harassment policy for Miami-Dade County.”
She found the work interesting.
“I had to learn all the language of the policies and the politics behind them,” Gitlin says.
“Right now, I’m helping with her re-election campaign.”
A couple of Saturdays a month she volunteers with Breakthrough Miami. She also teaches forensic science for Together We Innovate.
Gitlin is a member of the Cum Laude Society, the National English Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, the National Science Honor Society, the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society and the Quill and Scroll National Honor Society.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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