Woodside junior Clara Chiu made a video about racism against Asian Americans that has been chosen to air on KQED’s Youth Media Challenge Online showcase on Wednesday, November 10 at 7 p.m.
Clara’s video was one of seven chosen out of the roughly 500 entered. The event will showcase entries that show how a student perceives themselves in the world. Those who wish to attend, either virtually or in-person, are expected to register for the event. Chiu’s video, a reflection on the rise of Asian-American racism during the pandemic, incorporated her personal opinion and experiences with thorough research and historical references, which stood out to the members at KQED who reviewed submissions.
“Clara’s piece struck us because she ticked all the boxes,” Janelle Kim, Engagement Specialist at KQED, said. “She brought in the history and personal story of her family to discuss the rise of anti-Asian racism during the pandemic. And the video production quality was outstanding. She has a clear organization structure, thoroughly researched the topic, had great supporting images and clips from the media, and she wrote a very powerful script. She also includes a very clear call to action and solution to improving anti-Asian racism.”
Chiu did not make the video specifically for KQED, but her video was about something she felt passionate about and wanted to share.
“Originally it was a video for my film final, and I thought it was just a good opportunity to discuss something that I always wanted to talk about,” Chiu said.
Excited for the event, which is right around the corner, Chiu is prepared to present her video and answer questions about her video-making process.
“There will be about three groups presenting, including mine,” Chiu said. “Clips of [our] video submissions will be shown, and then [we] will get invited on stage and interviewed… to talk over [our] process.”
As a student in Woodside’s video production program for three years, Chiu currently works on the daily announcements while making creative movies as well.
“I think [making videos] is a good outlet to express yourself and find new ways to look at things or find new perspectives,” Chiu concluded.
