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2019 Student Journalism Institute Top Stories Andrea Punin, 37, sister of the missing Jacqueline Punin, looking at a photograph on her bedroom wall. She says she wants to make an altar to honor her sister. Gabriella N. Báez/NYT Institute Families of Missing Migrants Find Few Answers, Only Anguish Thousands of migrants have vanished near the United States-Mexico border, leaving their families to wrestle with stalled investigations and attempts at extortion. Experts warn that people trying to enter the country could lead to more disappearances. By Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio May 31, 2019 Michael Blake, the assemblyman from the 79th district in New York City, speaking to members of the news media during the Bronx Community Board 1 meeting on May 23. Ivan Armando Flores/NYT Institute City Wants Jails in 4 Boroughs. Not Here, Community Boards Say. If a plan to replace Rikers Island jail with four borough jails is approved by the Mayor’s Office, Rikers will close in 2026. But community boards are rejecting the plan. By Kate Sequeira May 30, 2019 Taylor McGraw, left, of Teens Take Charge, planning a protest for early June to fight for public schools integration. Teens Take Charge advocates for greater racial and academic diversity in New York City’s public high schools. Ivan Armando Flores/NYT Institute Student Leaders Fight to be Heard in New York City’s School Segregation Debate Student leaders at Teens Take Charge, a student-led education equity advocacy group reflect on how the Specialized High School Admissions Test shaped their involvement in the student group. The group says abolishing the test is just one piece of solving the school segregation debate. By Maria Serrano May 30, 2019 How Lessons in Hip-Hop Helped One Man Overcome His Past How one arts program helped a marginalized young man become a master freestyler and a mentor for the next generation. By Lulu Orozco May 30, 2019 Yordy became an almost parent to his 6-year-old brother, Fernando, when they were sent to New York alone after being separated from their mother. Lynda M. Gonzalez/NYT Institute Far From Home, a Young Migrant Helps His Little Brother Settle In to a New Life Yordy, 16, was thrust into adulthood after migrating from Guatemala. He was separated from his mother, and his 6-year-old brother became his responsibility. Still, he’s just a teenager, his cellphone always in his hand. By Lynda Gonzalez May 30, 2019 LATASHÁ, a rapper from Brooklyn, performing at the Rose Gold club in Brooklyn. She is one of a group of young rappers seeking to redefine rap and hip-hop. Jason J. Armond/NYT Institute A New Generation Seeks to Reinvent Rap in Its Birthplace Three members of New York’s hip-hop scene, two artists and a DJ, explore incorporating different influences into their craft, while also hoping to regain New York rap’s relevance in popular music. To create a new New York sound,” they draw on deep connections from their lives, surroundings and careers. By Ayana Archie May 30, 2019 Jesika Reyes besa a su hijo, Andrés Ramirez, 3, en la guardería que proporciona su centro comunitario, donde tienen clases para los estudiantes de inglés para hablantes de otros idiomas. La ciudad de Nueva York está amenazando con cortar los fondos para sus clases. Keren Carrion/NYT Institute Programs for English Literacy Face Ongoing Budget Fights Adult literacy classes teach students, most of whom are immigrants, English language skills and offer a gateway to opportunity and services. Advocates are fighting budget cuts to ensure future funding for the literacy programs. By Keren Carrion May 30, 2019 Naquasia Pollard reading her Koran after her morning prayer. Halfway through a 15-year prison sentence, she decided to take classes to earn a college degree in sociology. Ivan Armando Flores/NYT Institute Turning It Around: One Organization’s Mission to Support Women After Prison Naquasia Pollard was only 19 when she was arrested. While serving a 15-year sentence, she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology. College and Community Fellowship, a nonprofit that helps women with criminal justice histories, is guiding her to a master’s degree. By Ivan Armando Flores May 29, 2019 Second Slice Reyad Ghali, 48, the imam of Beit El-Maqdis Islamic Center of Bay Ridge, says that Muslim students "should be encouraged by Allah’s reward for remaining steadfast in practice despite hardships that may arise while fasting." Gabriella N. Báez/NYT Institute For Muslim Students, an Early Ramadan Means Fasting During Exams For the next 20 years, because of the calendar, Muslim students across high school and college campuses are going to have to balance fasting for Ramadan and the rigor of the academic year. Fortunately, their schools know how to accommodate them. By Malak Silmi May 31, 2019 Chivona Newsome, 34, plans to enter the race for the House seat in District 15, which covers the South Bronx. Jason J. Armond/NYT Institute Open Seat in South Bronx Attracts Newcomer Advocate Chivona Newsome, a newcomer to politics, is running for Congress in her South Bronx district. But she’s not the only one. In one of the poorest congressional districts in the nation, the race for the 2020 Democratic primary is already crowded. By Laura Zornosa May 30, 2019 Melanie Serrano, and her son, Ethan Acevedo, 7, in their Bronx apartment. Ms. Serrano has been in the housing court system for the last nine years, taking Ethan to court with her when she can’t find a babysitter. Jason J. Armond/NYT Institute If You Can Avoid It, Stay Out of the Bronx Housing Court System Though the Bronx is not the most populous borough, its housing court is the busiest. Many residents face years of uphill battles. For those with the will to fight, there’s just waiting and isolation, but those without the will simply give up. By Caitly Reynoso May 30, 2019 Somia Elrowmeim, left, on couch, and Rabyaah Althaibani attending Scott M. Stringer’s mayoral launch party to evaluate whether they want to offer their political consulting services to him. Gabriella N. Báez/NYT Institute Yemeni-American Women Start Political Consulting Firm in New York A pair of New York City-based Yemeni-American women have formed a political consulting firm called Arab Women’s Voices as a means of generating employment and encouraging dialogue between government officials and the Arab and Arab-American community. By Gabriella N. Báez May 30, 2019 Julia Edelman, left, and Seth Johnson, farm manager, at Brooklyn Grange in Queens made environmental impact central to their mission from the beginning. Jason J. Armond/NYT Institute Urban Farms Across N.Y. Focus on the Sustainability of City Life New York City is full of hidden urban farms, which can expand access to healthy food, provide jobs and build strong community bonds. Some seek to feed a community, while others seek to feed the soul. By Jason J. Armond May 29, 2019 Lekshmi Cashmore getting her hair buzzed by Light Mcauliffe, 31, at Camera Ready Cutz, in Brooklyn. The barbershop offers a safe space for the community. Ivan Armando Flores/NYT Institute Female-Owned Barbershops Undo Toxic Masculinity One Cut at a Time Traditional barbershops can be the ultimate boys’ club, fostering a mentality that can enable misogyny and cultivate toxic masculinity. Two female-owned barbershops, Ztylez Studio and Camera Ready Kutz, Inc., fight those stereotypes by creating an inclusive, safe space for their diverse clientele. By Bianca Theodore May 29, 2019 Emily Deevers left, 23, has a few last questions for Elana Frank, 25, after the Plants 101 workshop, as others choose their new potted plants. Jason J. Armond/NYT Institute Millennials Find Something to Care For: Plants Plant ownership is rising among millennials, who increasingly take to it as a way to assert responsibility over caring for a living thing. Many have no idea where to begin for fear of killing their plants, so they enter the world of plant care via social media hashtags, group classes and...