Making An Impact

Shortly after classes let out at Dieruff High School on a Tuesday afternoon, a melee broke out that attracted up to 100 students. The fight was a result of an argument that occurred between two students at lunch earlier in the day. Two teenagers...

Flan for Freedom

In the 1970s, a Bethlehem, PA. school teacher named Anita Amigo wanted to do something to help her students who were arrested for drug offenses. She found her solution in Puerto Rico. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 76.9 percent of drug offenders are...

A Second Chance

On the corner of 4th and Allen Streets in downtown Allentown, sits a brick and stucco school building reminiscent of the Alamo. Cars speed by on a cold December day as students shuffle inside — but they are not headed to a typical high...


From the Editors:

This issue of Berg Beat is the culminating project of a semester-long reporting assignment for our Intro to Narrative Journalism and Video Journalism classes last year. The collaboration also resulted in a documentary film covering POWER Northeast’s efforts during the Trump/Clinton election and an article which appeared on nextcity.org.

Our class work was part of The Reentry Project, a collaborative news initiative based in Philadelphia. Supported by the Solutions Journalism Network, the project explored the social and economic toll of high recidivism rates and highlighted models that demonstrate promise in facilitating a successful transition for returning citizens. The year-long project resulted in numerous newspaper, magazine and radio pieces tackling the issue of reentry. We are proud to be part of this important collaboration.

We would also like to thank the Department of Media & Communication for funding the printing of this magazine.

– SV & AEB