Day 5 and Last Day of WJMC

Thursday was my last full day at George Mason University for the WJMC conference. This was my favorite day of the week by far. We woke up the same early time as we have been all conference, but this morning, we headed to Washington DC for a fun day of tourism in the National Mall. Not only were we spending over four hours exploring, but basically, all of the correspondents were let loose from our busy and structured schedule and were allowed to tour whatever we wanted in the National Mall. Of course my friends and I grabbed our tourist-y iPhone cameras and took a picture of practically anything we saw, and sure enough, by the end of the day, my phone was overloaded with a bunch of amazing pictures (some included below). Our first stop in the Nation’s Capitol was the capitol building. One of my fellow correspondents has an appointment set up with her Ohio congressman, so while our group waited for Sarah’s appointment to finish, we toured around the capitol building and the great landmarks around it. Once the appointment was over, we all headed to a park to hang out in the grass and on the bench before we went to Quiznos for lunch. After lunch, our next endeavor was the Botanic Garden, which was surely a sight for sore eyes (pictured below). While we were there, we took some cool photographs of not only nature, but of ourselves enjoying nature (picture of me leaping at the gardens with the capitol building in the background, as well as my fellow correspondent Shainah and I at an indoor waterfall). All in all, Washington DC was an amazing experience, and I am glad to have been able to spend it with people who have made not only a lasting impression on me, but ho have also supported me all week long and I am sure these connections which I made will last a lifetime.

When it was time to head back to the George Mason campus after DC, that could only mean one thing… Time to get ready for the gala!! I invited some of my friends into my room to get ready together and we did each others hair, makeup, and nails all while playing music and having a good time enjoying each others company. After we were all ready to go, we headed on to our charter bus to the Westfield Marriot for our dance and plated dinner. It was a beautiful hotel and an even better dance, and everyone had the time of their lives living up their last night of camp with their friends. After the dance, as we headed home and were told to begin packing up, to say it was an emotional night is an understatement.

Today, Friday July 22nd was my last day at WJMC. We had one last breakfast together as our color group, The Mighty Blue Crew, and then headed to the auditorium for one last presentation, speech, and slideshow featuring all of the pictures that had been taken by our camp staff photographers that week. Many tissues were handed out and many goodbye hugs were given. We are now all officially alumni of WJMC 2016. As parents came rolling in throughout the afternoon to pick up their children, so did the tears.

I can sincerely and honestly say that WJMC was the best experience i’ve ever had. Every waking moment was a blessing, and definitely worth only getting a few hours of sleep each night. Throughout the I learned networking skills by interacting with all types of people from different parts of the nation, learned a lot from the excellent speakers featured here, and had fun being a leader here while engaging in all aspects of the media to make my journalistic voice be heard. This experience was life changing.

 

Day 4 WJMC

Day 4 of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference was definitely the most educational experience I’ve had all day.

To start off the day today after breakfast in the cafeteria was the day of our fun color group simulation of presenting our stories to our editors do earn a spot in the front page. Each pair of correspondents had an assigned fake topic to cover, and had to find strategic ways to convince our editors that our story belonged on the front page. (The “editors” were two of our fellow correspondents). This was an eye opening experience for me, especially because I got introduced to the grueling reality of working under deadlines while still coming up with great content. Overall, I loved this simulation, and it got me excited for a future career in print media.

 

Throughout the day today, I heard from various speakers…

1) Carol Guzy- four time Pulitzer Prize winning photographer. She presented her photographs in a way today that really touched everyone in the audience. By the end of her presentation, there was not a dry eye in the room. Everyone was in awe of all that she has gone through in order to produce amazing photography.

2) Sonya Ross- Race and ethnicity director for the associated press, who brought us back to our roots of journalism and was really engaging with the audience with questions. It was an honor to hear such a seasoned journalist talk in such a humble light, after all of the accomplishments she had achieved throughout her work in this field.

3) Amy Takayama-Perez- The dean of college admissions for George Mason University who gave us a quick presentation for college application strategies.

4) Richard T. Craig- assistant professor of communications at GMU who talked about influences in the media including racial of gender influences in pop culture.

5) Greg Watkins- founder of the All HipHop brand who shared with us his story of becoming a rising star. He showed that with hard work and determination, your dream job can become a reality. Although he never “broke it down” for us, he was very youthful and energetic presence.

One thing I will say is that having all three meals in the cafeteria today had its positives and negatives. The worst part about our meals today was not only the crowdedness of the cafeteria, but also the quality of the food, which seemed to become a popular subject to talk about. When everyone came back from a speaker extremely hungry, the last thing they want is gross cafeteria food, but I will say that on the bright side, having all three meals with my color group opened up a bunch of new conversation that I would have never had otherwise. As we all sat around the table, a conversation that just only started complaining about to cafeteria food somehow turned into deep conversation about the speakers of today and journalism as a whole. I feel like these are the best moments you can experience as an aspiring journalist where you can just pause for a moment with the people who actually care about the field you enjoy and just have a meaningful conversation.

I know I have definitely changed not only as a writer but as a thinker during this experience. On the first day when one of the counsellors told me that this would be the best week of my life, I didn’t believe them for a second. In fact, I even laughed at them. But now, I have gained so much experience and created lifelong connections, and I will cherish this experience forever.

All in all, every single speaker today gave a new perspective on how to excel in the journalism field and gave each correspondent a lot to take away from their experience. Today was a day of learning and networking.

I think what I am most excited for is tomorrow. We will be able to grab a few friends and go wherever we want in the National Mall, grab lunch in our Nations Capitol with some friends, visit some museums, visit our congressman, enjoy some museums and so many more options. After our fun tourist activities, we will all be heading to the Westfield Marriott for our Dinner Gala! Tomorrow is going to be amazing, I can’t wait!

 

Day 3 WJMC

Day 3 of WJMC was definitely the most exciting day so far this week. Today was all about experiencing journalism in the Nation’s Capitol. My first adventure this crazy morning was to the National Geographic Headquarters to hear a speech by Susan Goldberg, the editor in chief of the magazine and news for National Geographic. I admire how she is a woman in such a great position of power for National Geographic, as she has worked very hard working her way up to this prestigious position. Her speech was inspiring but also kept the audience up-to-date on future plans for the company while also showing us behind the scenes videos of important stories. While I was at the National Geographic Headquarters, I was sure to snap a picture on stage and of the breathtaking wall of various magazine covers throughout the years.

After the National Geographic museum, we headed over to lunch in a small Italian resturaunt called Buca di Beppo for a family-style lunch with my amazing blue crew! During lunch we debriefed on her speech and just had a great time. After lunch, it was time to head to the George Mason Arlington Campus to hear a speech from Brian Lamb, the executive chairman of C-SPAN, who used interactive questions in his presentation to discuss with the audience our political views on the 2016 presidential election along with as tactics that politicians use to draw voters in. Our next speaker was Jamie Smith, another big name in journalism who worked for numerous politicians including Hillary Clinton. I enjoyed the presence she had, it just gave me good vibes; you could also tell that she is an extremely hard worker and is an example of all of the opportunities available out there for aspiring journalists.

After both speakers, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called The Exchange. We had beautiful outdoor seating and fun food including hamburgers, hot dogs, and so much more. It was great bonding and networking  time with our fellow correspondents.

After dinner we began our monument tour. As you can probably tell by the pictures below, I went a little crazy to make sure I got pictures of everything we saw, which was a lot. Those three hours were jam-packed with visits to just about every monument there is to see in DC. This moment was the highlight of my entire trip… As I sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial gazing off into the reflection pool, I realized what I privilege I have to be here and to be sharing my experience with some inspiring youth journalists, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

Day 2 of WJMC

Day 2 of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference was full of amazing opportunities and experiences.

Waking up bright and early was obviously not the most glamorous part of the day, however, I excitedly put on our dress attire and headed down to Southside at 7am for breakfast to fuel up for our crazy trip to Washington DC. And of course, after breakfast, my amazing “Blue Crew” group just had to pose for a picture before boarding our charter bus.

My first stop in our Nation’s Capitol was the Newseum, which was the home to some of the oldest print media in history, chock-full of interactive exhibits, actual pieces from history, and my favorite, the Pulitzer Prize winning photography exhibit. These photos really captured real emotion, the good and the bad, and sure is a sight for sore eyes. As soon as I walked into this exhibit, I was taken aback by all of the amazing photojournalism I knew I was witnessing. The two photos which spoke to me the most were of the 9/11 attacks and of the Kasovo Refugees (pictured below). The pain exhibited in these photos are a lot to take in, but that is the importance of journalism, to capture the pain people are experiencing and using it to create a story that essentially gives a voice to the voiceless.

Following the photo exhibit, we all went and saw a 4-D movie, which featured famous American journalist, Nellie Bly, who was sent on a ten day mission to a mental institution and fake being insane, all in hopes of coming up with a good story about the truth behind mental institutes. She was one of the first pioneers of investigative journalism, and to top it all off, she was a woman!

My next stop in the Newseum was the top floor, which was the central for the main newspaper of every single state in the nation. The front page of each publication was on display and up to date. By looking at all of these well-known publications, I was able to determine what type of news  generally makes it to the front cover of print media.

Just a step outside of the newspaper room was the observation deck, which is a breathtaking view of our Nation’s Capitol from the sixth level of the Newseum. Of course, I had to snap a picture with my new friend and fellow correspondent, Shainah.

One of my favorite parts of the Newseum were the interactive exhibits. Here I got to play the role of a news anchor by reading off of a TelePrompTer and reporting a story in front of a camera, which would later be aired in front of my peers. It was also an opportunity for photos in the chairs of NBC anchors as well as interactive computer games and educational videos.

After the Newseum, we went to the National Press Club for a panel discussion with guest speakers: Catalina Camia, Lisa Gring-Pemble, Sylvan Lane, and John Rosen, who all discussed their views on politics as well as took questions from the curious audience. The topics discussed ranged from our 2016 presidential election to our views on foreign policies. Finally, the Keynote speaker was Terry Anderson, a former  correspondent for international exchanges who spend seven years as a prisoner in the Middle East with hopes of developing a good story to report. His work has inspired youth worldwide and truly made an impact on the journalism field as a whole.

This day was a day like no other in which I will truly never forget. I have reached out to so many new people and have learned how to network for myself all while gaining experience in my dream field. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Day 1 of WJMC

     Today was day 1 of WJMC, otherise known as the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, a state of the art camp held at George Mason university.

When I arrived today, i was greeted by the “blue crew” team who were inviting and you could definitely say we’re ready to kick off this week. We began with a campus tour, which was extremely impressive, and then we went to get ready for our welcome dinner, which was hands down the best part of the night. Guest speaker and reporter for NBC4, David Culver shared with us his inspiring journey of how he got to where he is today in the field of broadcast journalism. Hearing him share his story was a beautiful thing. He used documented progress to convey his story in a way that was close to the heart. His interactive questions and relatable a vice had everyone in the room at the edge of their seats, no doubt. He shared that you can veer from your “dream path” and still get the end result that you want.  He also shared that the essence of journalism is to be curious and go out of your way to give a voice to the voiceless by even going for the bigger picture when needed; incredible stories can be pulled from everywhere just by networking and building humble and honest connections.

Following dinner, we broke out into our small groups which were divided my color. Mine was the blue group. We played some icebreaker games, then jumped right into our discussion, practicing networking by creating our own “personal brand image”, describing our current and future endeavors in the field of journalism and media. Our group work did a great job of encouraging us to step out of our comfort zone. Excited to see what the day brings tomorrow and the rest of the week…