Over the past few months, QPA’s student journalists have been working hard to produce the best articles possible for their audience. However, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in order for them to do so. Students come up with story ideas, conduct research, and interview a variety of sources to build an article from the ground up. Even so, that’s only part of the process. For journalists, what they learn from the world around them and from professionals in the field, is also part of the creative process.
So, on Monday November 6, in order to keep learning and growing in the field, student journalists from Queen Preparatory Academy attended the 83rd Fall Conference presented by Columbia University’s Scholastic Press Association.
Now, the Columbia University School of Journalism was founded in 1912 by publishing mogul Joseph Pulitzer–of the Pulitzer Prize in Literature–in order to educate and inform upcoming journalists. So, this ongoing event is part of this effort, and ensures that high school students from all over the country benefit from Pulitzer’s contribution to the world of journalism.
Learning New Skills
At this event, student journalists attend a variety of workshops that support their learning of required skills. These sessions are taught by highly qualified professors who are experts in writing, editing, managing photos, working with graphic design and more.
Every year, Columbia University opens up their huge campus to allow journalists from schools across the country to have school for the day. Attendees have full access to the space since the events are held in different buildings, and have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful campus.
QPA journalists were delighted to attend this event, and quite willing to share their experiences from the trip.
According to journalist Fazil Mohamed, the best part of the trip was the view. Students were able to take pictures as they explored the campus. This enabled them to essentially “feel lost about where I was going” in the huge space, as QPA journalist Ranaa Hasan mentions.
Overall, students were enthusiastic about the seminars presented during the event. One was the photography session, which helped students get new ideas of how to incorporate photos into their articles. QPA journalist Olivia Mighty said the photography class allowed her to have an immersive experience and she “would love to replicate this in [her] own writing.”
Some attendees particularly enjoyed the seminars that focused on design. They learned advanced editing skills, and were exposed to working with a variety of graphics.
Students also participated in a session that covered different approaches to writing the autobiography. Journalist Najyah David, said that the “autobiography class was really interesting because when I grow up I want to be a writer.” She also learned some new writing skills, such as using her five senses during the writing process, which she found interesting. David mentioned that she can “learn a lot from journalism” and found the experience “cool and impressive.”
The Importance of Student Journalism
A key aspect of this trip was how much the importance of journalism was emphasized. Students were shown how different parts of the profession work together, and how it helps build collaboration skills. “ I learned how the different sections and aspects of journalism really come together as a whole to make this process informative, easier, and able to [work closely] with your peers” said Arielle Matapersad. She believes this experience has taught her the importance of “everyone coming together and playing a role in making something happen.”
Getting There
Since Columbia University is located in Uptown Manhattan, for some students, the only drawback to the trip was actually getting there. According to Oluwateniayo “Tenny” Maraiyesa, “The worst part was the time when we got there.” The conference started at 8:30, but students left school around 8:00, traveled by bus to the subway, and overall, the trip took almost two hours. Naturally, it would have been better for them to arrive at Columbia earlier to partake in more of the events. However, this doesn’t change the fact that the trip was a success. For some, it was actually their first time taking the bus and train, and for others, the view and experience made up for the long commute. Student journalist Oluwadamsi “Dami” Adenola, who recently moved here from Nigeria, said “Traveling from here to the university was fun, because it was my first time taking the train.”
Looking Ahead
All in all, students who participated in this trip recommend that others join the journalism team in order to attend this conference in the future. As they see it, they’ve learned a lot about how the journalism industry functions in the real world. However, the main takeaway is that it’s a fun experience and great exposure to a world class college campus. It also provided an informative glimpse of college life, while opening students’ eyes to a potential career path down the line.
