ASU Student Life editor’s picks: Best of Holly Bernstein

Editor’s note: Since ASU Student Life is a news site by students, for students, we wanted to give our graduating reporters a chance to share their favorite work from their tenure as ASU Student Life storytellers. We’ll miss them in the newsroom but appreciate their time with us!

My name is Holly Bernstein and I just graduated from Arizona State University with my bachelor’s in broadcast journalism and global studies.

I started working for ASU Student Life as a videographer, writer and photographer just over a year ago. Spending my senior year telling the stories of my fellow students was the best way I could have spent my last year at ASU.

As I say goodbye to ASU Student Life and prepare to move to Mankato, Minnesota, to start my journalism career, here are some of my favorite stories that I’ve covered while working here.

ASU grad and former ASU Student Life reporter Holly Bernstein

One of my first stories for ASU Student Life led me backstage at ASU Gammage to talk to “Les Miserables” actor and ASU alum Nick Cartell, who plays Jean Valjean in the national touring company of the musical.

I spoke with Cartell about what it was like to be part of the cast and what it was like to attend ASU.

“Twenty paddlers. A drummer. Someone steering in the back. A boat with a dragon head on the front. This is dragon boat racing, a tradition that dates back thousands of years to celebrate rice planting and seasonal festivals.”

For this story, the Tempe Town Lake was my office for the day.

I spoke with members of the ASU Dragon Boat team about what it is like to participate in the sport and how they prepared to compete in a festival.

“Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, ASU students gathered for a service day, one of many planned for the spring semester through Changemaker Central @ASU.”

For this event I spoke to student volunteers about why they wanted to make a difference in their community.

“A sea of rainbow hues welcomed the beginning of spring on the Arizona State University Tempe campus March 23 as dozens of students celebrated Holi, a Hindu celebration known as the Festival of Colors.”

For this event I spoke to members of the Indian Students Association and the Unified Society of South Asians, who hosted the event.

Holi’s origins go back centuries, and ASU students celebrated the changing of the seasons as an opportunity for reflection and resolutions.  

“The eighth annual Pitchfork Awards brought a taste of Hollywood to the Arizona State University Tempe Campus April 17 as students, organizations and events were recognized for making an impact at ASU.”

You don’t always see what goes into getting the perfect shot, but sometimes it means climbing a couple dozen feet up in the air to get to the catwalk above the stage.

This event was one of my favorites to photograph.