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Multimedia Reporting – JMC 419 Feature Article
I wrote a feature article exploring a human interest story through in-depth interviews and narrative storytelling. This assignment required strong research, interviewing, and narrative writing skills, emphasizing empathy and clarity. This project enhanced my ability to tell impactful stories and translate complex personal experiences into clear, relatable narratives.
Tyko Renssen’s early childhood in the Netherlands was shaped by Montessori school – a child-centered, holistic approach to education that emphasizes hands-on learning, self-directed activities, and collaborative play.
“We had two breaks a day, no homework, and it was more about developing the kid into who they want to be,” Renssen said. He recounted moving ahead in classes he excelled in and staying back in others.
At age 9, Renssen moved to the United States and was placed in an English-learning class, but it was taught in Spanish, a language he also didn’t understand. Despite the language barrier, he was expected to complete English homework immediately.
“It took me at least a year and a half to two years before I was fluent in English,” he said.
Miscommunications quickly led to discipline. “I kept getting sent to the principal’s office about every other week purely because I wouldn’t know English, so sometimes they’d be like ‘oh do this in recess’ or – and I wouldn’t know any better.”
Renssen lacked support where he needed it and was restricted in subjects where he had previously excelled – like math and writing. His mother, Nieke, remembers him being penalized for skills he had already mastered.
“If he wrote cursive the teacher would take points off,” she said.
Although Renssen was advanced in math, the U.S. system had no track for acceleration. He was required to relearn material he already knew and remained unchallenged by the curriculum for two years.
“All this is so demotivating,” Nieke said. “I still today do not understand how education is not a little more personalized.”
Even as a child, Renssen noticed the contrast in how classrooms functioned. His mother saw the impact it had on him.
“The [Dutch] classrooms are kind of like an open – wouldn’t say playground because we’re still learning and stuff – but you’re incentivized to talk to your classmates, ask your teachers questions,” he said.
“Elementary school in the U.S. definitely dimmed some light in my always happy Tyko, and it’s one of my biggest regrets re the move,” Nieke said.
Still, she acknowledged the warmth Tyko received from the community. “I think he was welcomed more and better in the U.S… Dutch kids can be a little less welcoming.”
His sister, Iris, described the family’s relocation in a TED Talk as “a forest fire” – frightening at first, but eventually a space for new growth.
Now a college student, Renssen shared how his experience changed as he got older. He especially enjoyed high school in the U.S. “I think that is something that is pretty unique to America,” he said. When friends from back in the Netherlands ask what it’s really like, he tells them, “It’s obviously dramatized in the movies, but it is the same idea.”
The Netherlands still feels like home to Renssen when he visits. “I get to speak my native tongue and see places I remember from childhood,” he said. “So does it in California, but just another home.”
From misunderstood recess rules to repeating math he had mastered years earlier, Renssen found his footing in a system that didn’t make space for him, and built a life between two cultures that rarely intersect. It didn’t just shape how he learns, it shaped how he sees the world.
Elizabeth Soltis 