KUNR Youth Media

Damonte Ranch rising senior says routines, creative pursuits have helped her cope with pandemic

KUNR Public Radio | By Celeste Rizo Rivas, KUNR Youth Media

Published September 2, 2022 at 4:52 PM PDT

Maddie Rose smiles for a photo outside. There is green shrubbery and yellow flowers behind her. — Damonte Ranch High School senior Maddie Rose.

The pandemic has brought new challenges for everyone, including Damonte Ranch High School rising senior Maddie Rose, who had to find new coping methods to maintain a positive outlook. KUNR Youth Media’s Celeste Rizo sat down with Maddie to learn more about her experiences.

Celeste Rizo: I think a lot of us have had time to learn more about ourselves. What do you think you have learned?

Maddie Rose: I guess above everything, I think just a lot of patience because obviously everything had to be put on hold. And I think it was really frustrating for everyone, that I know at least, to ... watch the possibilities of your life kind of go by. And I think that everyone else had to be patient with each other. So yeah, I think just a lot of patience and learning. Also, that it takes patience to get back to a some kind of normal and that maybe it will never be normal, but overall, just a lot of patience.

Rizo: What were things you did to cope with the situation?

Rose: Definitely just having a really good routine. Every day, I’m kind of doing the same things, and that is what works for me, is, I guess, grounding myself and bringing myself back to ... a steady mindset. Also talking with friends and just maintaining control over my own life.

Rizo: With learning new lessons, a lot of people adopted new hobbies. What hobbies did you adopt?

Rose: I don’t know if this is really a hobby, but I have started listening to music a lot more. And I guess another hobby is reading. Even if it’s reading for school, I think I pay attention a lot more, and I’m a lot more interested. I also love kind of being creative and painting and drawing.

Rizo: Is there any book that just impacted you?

Rose: I’m reading right now The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved that movie. I already read the book, actually, but I just love the book. And I guess I would say it impacted me because I think it has themes that are kind of true throughout a lot of generations and a lot of different people’s lives.

Rizo: So Perks of [Being] a Wallflower deals with a lot of mental health and real situations. What impacts do you see on mental health with our generation?

Rose: I feel like definitely a lot of depression and anxiety, and I think it was definitely fueled by quarantine especially, but also I hate to say this, but I feel like at this point, like our generation, it’s almost just a part of growing up. I feel like I don’t really know anyone that doesn’t suffer with at least one of those things or more things, more issues with their mental health.

Rizo: So now going back to yourself, with learning all these new experiences, what advice would you give yourself in the future?

Rose: I don't even know if this is going to makes sense, but just to remain stable. I think that, I know what grounds me, and makes me feel present, and I think going back to those things, and then knowing that, I feel like it all works out, Things are going to be OK, and they may not be the OK you expected them to be, but they're going to be OK.

KUNR Youth Media's Celeste Rizo is a freshman at Truckee Meadows Community College and Maddie Rose is a senior at Damonte Ranch High School. KUNR’s Youth Media program is a special partnership with the Washoe County School District and Report for America to train the next generation of journalists.

Learn more about the KUNR Youth Media program

Each fall and spring semester, our dedicated program coordinator partners with the WCSD educator to mentor a select group of high school interns. The internship classes are typically from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the high school, providing a structured environment where students receive comprehensive instruction.

The students are taught radio journalism, broadcast journalism, and media production, gaining real-world professional experience that helps them develop career skills. Students work with media professionals to produce creative audio stories and elevate voices from our region.

As part of the program, students are offered the opportunity to tour KUNR’s facilities and the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, where they will have the chance to record their broadcasts under the guidance of the WCSD educator and the program coordinator.

This semester-long project is designed to facilitate the airing of the students' stories on KUNR and the publication of their work on KUNR.org. Through this experiential learning approach, students gain valuable insights into public media and develop practical skills using industry-standard equipment.

The KUNR Youth Media Coordinator plays a crucial role in ensuring that students receive scholarly guidance on the standards and practices associated with audio journalism production.

Our program is committed to fostering a safe and constructive learning environment for all participants. KUNR is dedicated to nurturing the creative ideas of students in the program and, prior to publication, KUNR’s Managing Editor reviews all submitted work to ensure that it aligns with KUNR’s established media standards and expectations.

This program was formerly known as Reno Youth Radio.