September 2026
Los Angeles & San Gabriel Valley Edition
About
Journalism,
one byline at a time
Hi! I'm Madison Shen (or Maddie), and I'm a Junior at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, California. I have a passion for journalism, where writing, reporting, and telling stories are some of my favorite things to do.
Outside of reporting, I sing with the Los Angeles Children's Chorus Chamber Singers and am a defender on my school's varsity field hockey team. I live in San Marino, which is a big part of why my current reporting keeps bringing me back to the greater San Gabriel Valley.
How I got here.
I was first introduced to journalism in 8th grade, and I began writing for my first publication, the Harvard-Westlake Spectrum, in my freshman year. Since then, I've been heavily involved in my school's media program — as a staff writer and layout assistant for the Harvard-Westlake Chronicle, and as a contributor to The Mosaic Magazine, our school's student life and Studio City community magazine (where I helped produce the inaugural issue). Outside of school, I also take part in the LA Times High School Insider program and write bimonthly opinion pieces for The Outspoken, a global online student opinion and resources newspaper. In the summer of 2025, I attended the School of New York Times Summer Academy journalism intensive in New York City, where I worked with NYT journalists. By the end of that program, I began thinking of journalism less as a hobby and more as something I actually wanted to pursue.
Beyond writing articles, I'm also the Communications Leader for my school's student club supporting the Committee to Protect Journalists, where we've raised money through campus fundraisers to help support CPJ's work protecting journalists worldwide. Additionally, I am a member of the Asian American Journalism Association (AAJA).
Right now, I'm building my freelance path: pitching to local outlets, developing my own reporting projects, and starting a recurring column on small businesses across the San Gabriel Valley. This website is the home for every piece I publish, updated as new pieces come out.
What I cover
School & student life
Reporting from inside Harvard-Westlake for the Chronicle and Mosaic — news, features, and the day-to-day of student journalism.
Always looking for the lead. Get in touch if you have a story to tell.
Ethics in journalism
Thinking critically about the responsibility behind reporting, shaped by my work with Ethics Olympiad and the CPJ student chapter.
Stop press — credentials
LA Journalism Education Association
Honorable Mention, News & Novice News
New York Times Summer Academy
Journalism Intensive, New York
Committee to Protect Journalists
Communications Leader, Student Club
Ethics Olympiad
Co-Captain & Co-Founder, Harvard-Westlake Team
Asian American Journalism Association
Member
Local businesses
How small, independently owned businesses are adapting and surviving — starting with food and retail across the San Gabriel Valley.