Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism

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2022 Archive - page 3

Escaping, surviving and thriving

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Here is a snapshot of data from the YWCA Oklahoma City’s 2021 Impact Report

By Thalia Henry, MacArthur High School  Oklahoma is known as one of the top-ranking states for domestic abuse and violence in the country. More than 27,000 abuse cases were reported in 2020, according to OklahomaWatch.org. Although domestic abuse plays a role in numerous families in Oklahoma, many resources and organizations are available to help people overcome domestic abuse, such as the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault and the YWCA.  This is the story of one survivor who found resources that changed her life. Lee, who asked that only her first name be used, is from Oklahoma City.…

Feb. 24 in Ukraine: Inside the lives of three 18-year-old friends left scattered by war

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Stephanie Avtonomova submitted a photo of her group of friends--two are featured in the article below. (First from the left is Paulo, Stephanie is fourth from the left, and Ruslana is sixth from the left). “This photo was taken on January 8, before the full-scale invasion. It was the last time we saw each other,” Avtonomova said.

by Stephanie Avtonomova, Ukrainian Catholic University The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing war between Russia, together with pro-Russian separatist forces, and Ukraine.It was started by Russia in February 2014 following the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity, and initially focused on the status of Crimea and the Donbas, internationally recognized as part of Ukraine. The first eight years of the conflict included the Russian annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists, as well as naval incidents, cyberwarfare and political tensions. Following a Russian military build-up on the Russia-Ukraine border from late 2021, the conflict expanded significantly when Russia…

Conference realignment remaking landscape of college sports — again

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By Dalton Davis, School of Business and Management in Dallas The NCAA is an ever-changing world. The pace of that change is rapidly accelerating as many college athletic departments are now battling to secure the most lucrative homes they can in the college sports landscape.  In the past year, Oklahoma and Texas accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference, and this summer USC and UCLA bolted for the Big Ten Conference.  In the wake of those moves, others are evaluating the pros and cons of staying with their current conferences or jumping to new ones to achieve the same goals. …

How test anxiety affects U.S students

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A student demonstrates one manifestation of test anxiety. Photo illustration by Jeremiah McBurrows

By Jeremiah McBurrows, Heritage High School, Frisco, Texas The room begins to fade. All that’s in view is the test in the near horizon. The very thought of being near that dreaded piece of paper turns his hands clammy. This is what Evan Whitaker, a rising junior at the University of Oklahoma, has going through his mind whenever he simply hears the mention of a test coming his way.  Test anxiety is real, and for students like Whitaker, it’s a bigger issue than others may think. Test anxiety is not uncommon among U.S. students. In fact, around 33 percent of…

Losing a limb, deepening determination: Athletes with prosthetics fight through added challenge to compete in sports they love

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Chris Smith, who lost his right leg at 16 in an accident, hikes with his family at the Grand Canyon. Courtesy of Chris Smith

By Claire AshEdmond Santa Fe High School  Chris Smith remembers skating down the ice, throwing the perfect pass or scoring the game-winning goal.  Then it all took a drastic turn.  He, like athletes all over the world, competes in the sports he loves, just differently: with a prosthetic limb. The 37-year-old lost his right leg at age 16. A few weeks before his sophomore year at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. Smith was going street luging with some friends when he attempted to put his feet down to decelerate. The board’s wheels hit an unknown object on the road and sent him…

Q&A with Ukrainian student, Stephanie Avtonomova

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Stephanie Avtonomova, Ukrainian Catholic University For the second consecutive year, OIDJ virtually hosted international students as participants. Despite a time difference that kept them working late into the night, these students learned from the OIDJ instructors, connected with the Oklahoma students and produced media work for the website. In this Q&A, Stephanie Avtonomova answers a series of questions.  Q: Where were you born? Where were you living before you moved to London? A: I am Ukrainian. І was born in Dnipro, at 15 moved to Kyiv, at 17 to Lviv. After a full-scale invasion, before moving to London, I lived in…

A Q&A with Ukrainian journalism student, Sofiia Korol

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Sofiia Korol

By Sofiia Korol, Chernivtsi National University For the second consecutive year, OIDJ virtually hosted international students as participants. Despite a time difference that kept them working late into the night, these students learned from the OIDJ instructors, connected with the Oklahoma students and produced media work for the website. In this Q&A, Sofiia Korol answers a series of questions.  Q: Where were you born? A: I was born and raised in the small village of Zelenyy Hai, located in the west of Ukraine. And later I moved to Chernivtsi. Q: Do you have brothers or sisters? If so, are they…

Diving into the life of Andi Anthony

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Andi Anthony

By Nora Neville, Vandegrift High School Andi Anthony doesn’t just love to swim. She dives into the sport. You might say she lives in the water. “Swim has given me a home away from home,” said, Andi, a 17-year-old who attends Putnam City High School. A member of the school’s swim team at Putnam City, she spends a lot of time with her swim family.  “I have met new friends and have built a strong connection with them.” She said. My teammates and I all have similar interests making it easier to communicate and be friends with one another. Personally,…

For Thalia Henry, high school debate charts a path toward career as defense attorney

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Thalia Henry

By Bohdan James, Norman High School Picture this, a man on trial for a crime he didn’t commit. The defense attorney he has been assigned is mediocre and does a poor job. He loses the case and is forced to endure time in prison that wasn’t meant for him.  That is what Thalia Henry hopes to prevent in her pursuit of a career as a defense attorney. Thalia is a 16-year-old junior at Lawton’s MacArthur High School who has wanted to be a defense attorney since she was a little girl. Her motivation comes from how she wants to provide…

Nora Neville, gymnast turned dancer, will test agility next by managing social media

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Nora Neville

By Andi Anthony, Putnam City High School Starting in competitive gymnastics at a very young age, Nora Neville quickly fell in love with the sport. Unfortunately, the physical stress of the sport started to cause pain so in sixth grade, she switched to dance, where she has spent the several years of her life training.  Now a senior at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, Nora dances with her school team, the Legacies, which made it all the way to the state championships. Her team won and went on to perform in Honolulu at Pearl Harbor. “Dancing gives me the…

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