By: Elaine Liu
“Gooood morning, Syosset!” a cheery voice calls from the screens in classrooms across Syosset High School. Most students watch the Friday morning show, SYO Central, but few realize the hours of planning, editing, and fine-tuning that happen before and after the cameras roll. For Jenna Roth-Epstein, working on these videos behind the scenes was her life, bringing broadcasts to life clip by clip, cut by cut. Creating productions like these became Jenna’s gateway into the world of journalism, sparking a passion that would guide her toward a future behind the camera.
Jenna’s journey began merely as a way to fulfill her arts requirement for graduation, by choosing the fateful “Introduction to Video Production” elective class her freshman year. Jenna said, “I’ve always been interested in media. I especially like anything that involves conveying information and learning things.” However, as Jenna explored the thoughtful planning, production, and editing that went into each project, she became increasingly fascinated with the behind-the-scenes work of making videos. She eagerly seized every opportunity in school related to video production, which eventually led her to broadcasting. In fact, by the end of her high school career, Jenna said, “I had completed every video production course offered, alongside two years of broadcast journalism.” Beyond the classroom, Jenna also produced video packages for the high school newspaper, The Pulse.
High school journalism thus became both the foundation of Jenna’s career and a bridge to a community of like-minded, young broadcasters she’d meet in her classes and eventually, through the Broadcast Alliance for Senior High (BASH). One of Jenna’s highlights of high school journalism every year was attending BASH. She said, “BASH is a competition with schools across Long Island and in New York State in general that allows high school students to compete against each other in multiple categories and hopefully win an award.” What makes BASH unique is that it resembles the “Academy Awards” of high school broadcasting, drawing in numerous broadcasting enthusiasts, all passionate about video production. “BASH was a way for me to express myself in front of people, whether it be my parents or my friends, while getting opinions about my work,” said Jenna.
In fact, one of Jenna’s proudest moments came during her first year attending BASH, when she and fellow video editor, Parthib Roy, earned third place for the Best Short Broadcast category in 2024. The best part wasn’t the award, however, but what the award itself represented. Jenna said, “It felt really good to have our hard work acknowledged because it wasn’t just us being told to go [up on stage]; it was our friends in the group telling us, the editors, ‘Get up there. You guys deserve to get the award.’” BASH was also a space where Jenna grew up as a journalist. In her senior year of high school, Jenna spent upwards of 25 hours over a single week working on a piece covering the school musical. Though she had put a lot of work into her piece, she ended up not placing. When realizing she hadn’t placed at BASH, Jenna said, “It was a betrayal of all the hard work I put into it and everything. But now, looking back, I realize that really taught me a lot.” Specifically, BASH taught Jenna to embrace feedback and criticism, an essential part of being a broadcaster. In many ways, the experience prepared her for the real world. She said, “I learned that just because I worked hard on something doesn’t mean it’s perfect and that I’m not owed anything.”
From her BASH successes and setbacks, Jenna has evolved her work over time to be more creative and emotionally provocative, enticing her audiences. One of her favorite production pieces was a retirement video she made for her computer science teacher, Mrs. Christine Owens. Jenna said, “That was the first time I really felt an emotional response to something I’d made because I watched her watch the video. I watched the people in the class watch the video. I watched her get emotional. And I realized I can actually make an impact. And I think that taught me that I have to act, that what I’m doing can be impactful, and that is what has kept my spirit for making videos alive.”
With that same spirit, Jenna now works behind the editing booth as a college freshman at SUNY Oswego, pursuing a major in broadcasting and digital media with a minor in political science. Her work at the school’s news station mirrors many of her experiences in high school journalism and events like BASH. Jenna said, “Today, I’m doing technical directing, which basically means I control what appears on screen during a broadcast. I also handle video uploads, making sure that any segments or packages created outside the studio make it onto the air.” With newfound this purpose, Jenna hopes to continue sharing her voice for many years to come. She said, “[Broadcasting]’s not just about blankly reporting on stories. It’s about finding that emotional charge and finding something that actually resonates with people.”
