Heather Chen is a high school senior at BASIS Independent McLean. She worked as a columnist and reporter in her high school journalism class and also joined the Quill and Scroll Society later on in that year. After attending the 2025 Washington Journalism and Media Conference, she still continues to contribute to school media by working as a staff/caption writer in her school’s Yearbook Club. By being a part of the Youth Advisory Board, she hopes to inspire more current and potential high school journalists to continue pursuing media and communications, even if it’s as small and simple as an article pitch to their peers. Outside of journalism, Heather loves to ride horses, spend time with her cats, play violin, hang out with friends, and journal regularly.