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…
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