Editor’s Note: Yerianys Padin Caro is a senior at Zama Middle High School in Camp Zama. If you or someone you know would like to contribute your story to Stripes Japan, let us know at japan@stripes.com!

From Oct. 27–30, I had the opportunity along with nine students from Zama Middle High School to travel to Seoul, South Korea, for the Far East Journalism Competition at Dragon Hills Hotel. Guided by our sponsor, Mr. Guisinger, we joined 96 other students from 12 other DODEA schools across Japan, Guam and Korea for four days of reporting, writing, and teamwork under deadlines. This was my second time competing, so I had a better idea of how much work and time it would take to finish our articles and meet the deadlines.

Back in Oct. 2024, I traveled with a group of seven students from Zama for my very first journalism competition. I competed under the newspaper category and after 4 days of hard work writing, editing, and designing a digital publication, our team won Best Newspaper. That first experience showed me how powerful teamwork can be and made me want to come back even stronger. It also made me realize how much I enjoyed writing stories and collaborating with a team.

On the first day of this year’s competition, participants were placed into mixed teams with students from different schools. Students were placed based on the area they were competing in: Yearbook, Newspaper, or Broadcast Journalism. I was competing in Newspaper and was assigned to Group one with Leah, Addyson, Meredith, Sophia, Melody, and Ryder. Our first task was to assign roles like photographer, reporter, and editor and start planning our stories. We only had four days to research, write and publish our newspaper, so every choice we made counted.

My team decided to name our newspaper “The Foreign Lens: Korea Edition.” We wanted to show South Korea through our own “lens” as visiting student journalists discovering a different culture. Even with limited time, we focused on layout and design, making sure every headline, photo and caption worked together.

The schedule was intense. Our days started around 8:30 a.m. and went until 8:00 p.m. During that time, we attended sessions with professionals in the field. I attended a session with Mitch Eden, where he taught us about newspaper writing and layouts. Also, we have fast trips with our team where we spend our time interviewing people, taking photos, notes and looking for ideas. Then we came back to the hotel to write and edit our stories and newspaper site, all within the same day. The pressure was real, but it pushed us to stay organized, communicate clearly and support each other.

The best part of the competition was heading into the streets of Seoul to find our stories. We interviewed locals, shop owners, and tourists about culture, fashion, sports, and everyday life. Talking to strangers in another country felt a little intimidating, but it made our reporting feel more real and valuable. We also met a Korean photographer who was curious about what we were working on and shared some of his own experiences with us. This gave us a new perspective on storytelling.

Between long work sessions, we still found time to bond. We shared meals, explored Seoul and stayed up late editing our site. Those late nights brought us closer and helped us build lasting friendships. The best part of the competition was connecting with students from other DODEA schools across the Pacific.

This year, I was proud to win Best News Feature Story for my article “The Resting Generation: Why Young Koreans Are Stepping Back.” Through this story, I wanted to show that resting can be an act of self-care in a culture that is always on the go. Writing it allowed me to explore the pressures young people face and highlight why taking breaks is important for mental and physical health. Reporting my story was challenging because it dealt with a sensitive topic. I wanted to make sure I understood people’s perspectives, which took time and research to write an article in an accurate and respectful way.

I feel lucky to have competed and won awards both times. More than anything, these experiences taught me that journalism is about curiosity, collaboration, and that the best stories are the ones we live.

Writer’s bio: Yerianys Padin Caro is a senior at Zama Middle High School who enjoys staying involved in both academics and extracurriculars. She’s currently taking fashion dual enrollment courses to prepare for a future career in fashion and recently started a fashion club to share her creativity and ideas with other students.