Before actually giving my perspective on the Washington Journalism and Media Conference that I attended last week, I wanted to first address the fact that it was one of the best experiences I could've had that helped me learn about journalism & meet people of like-minds that believed in me and reciprocated a fondness for each other that wasn't forced nor fake.
On the first day, it was a little hectic. Everyone finding where their dorms were, meeting roommates & counselors. It was nerve-wracking yet exhilarating. I knew after meeting my faculty and junior faculty advisors that there was actually hopes of a happy week. Beforehand, I honestly didn't know if I'd truly fit in with people. All the people who I'd met before our actual small groups were nice, but it just seemed as if something was missing. After we all got a little used to each other, we prepared to listen to our first speaker-- Sonya Gavankar, who is the director of public relations at the highly celebrated Newseum. I loved the way she worked the crowd with her quirkiness, and fun-loving personality. All her advice about role models, and jitters from breaking in to the industry was spot on. She was so relatable that I could tell over half the audience felt some type of connection.
The second day was one of my favorites because not only did we go see the monuments, but that's when I really started to feel my group become closer in comparison to the first day. All the monuments were absolutely extraordinary to say the least, and seeing them as the night grew older made it all the better. What I failed to realize at the time was that, that was only the tip of the iceberg.
There was still so much to see & experience.
The Newseum was one of the most interesting & intriguing places I think I've ever been to thus far in my life. It had news from various places all over the country, and from all time periods. It was so cool seeing news broadcasts from the 60s & 70s. As well as, prominent industry trailblazers' stories, and how they became so well known. It really inspired me, and made me feel even more confident about what I feel passionate doing. The speaker we had for this day was Laxmi Parthasarthy who's a director of global media partnerships for a company by the name of "Ashoka." I did hear mixed reviews about her speech, but I personally was able to pull gems from what she was saying. For example, being the only female in a newsroom at some points & the challenges that she faced with that. I also enjoyed how much she emphasized being a minority & reaming confident in your work, that's something I could really relate to on various levels.
Waking up the next day, however, was actually a struggle. Late nights and early mornings became my best friend at WJMC. But it was definitely worth it. On this day we traveled to the MLK Memorial which was, of course, so beautiful. I thought the quotes that were engraved across the walls were a nice addition to the monument itself. Following that, we met our first speaker of the day who was podcast & radio host, Lauren Ober. I enjoyed Lauren because, she too, had a fun-loving personality & connected well with the audience. She kept us engaged, along with laughing all while giving us a little background on podcasts and radio life. I even felt inspired to make a podcast after her speech, it was that impactful to myself as I'm sure it was for lots of other people in the audience.
In between listening speakers, and walking for minutes for what seemed like hours in not so comfortable shoes, each team that was pre-arranged for the conference met on those in-between times where we not only talked about the importance of networking, but the real benefits of news as well as the production process itself. We also discussed having a professional image that you can be proud of. How you present yourself, especially in an industry that's as competitive as journalism, how you look is one determining factor on how people perceive you & if they'll let you get past an introduction.
Brian Lamb, who's the founder & former CEO of the public relations network C-Span, was one of my favorite speakers of the week because of how invested he was in our opinions & our actual feelings. He went beyond the surface with his questions, and he actually listened to us, ensure we were being heard. I also enjoyed how youthful he was, that was a definitely a pleasant surprise! We all have this misconception of older people, whether it is true or not, that they don't know much about the new generation or even want to know about the new generation & how we actually are vs. how it may appear to be.
Steve Berta was the journalist that broke the story about gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, and his sexual interactions with girls on the teams that he worked for. Although I'm sure we weren't told every little detail about what happened alone I could tell the in itself story he told resonated with every female in the building. It can certainly get real for us as females, and for him to be so raw with the story's dynamics & sincere in his approach with how the story was told was appreciated. I'm still in awe with how if he wouldn't have decided to pursue the story or continue his investigation, Larry Nassar would still be in the USA Gymnastics world molesting females.
To end the evening we listened to Phil Murphy, who is the host SportsCenter. Now although I don't want to be a sports journalist myself, I was able to pick out some gems from his speech such as reminding yourself that everything in the end will work out fine, and that being fired in hindsight just opens up another opportunity for you. I also noticed how he took out time to give credit to God because in an industry where you can be constantly be pulled in different directions, it can be easy to lose sight of what's important.
On our second to last day, we had the amazing privilege to hear Carol Guzy talk a little bit about her personal story, but mainly showing other people's stories with her amazingly crafted photo slideshows. The photos were both heartwarming & heart wrenching in one breath. I especially enjoyed how raw & uncut the photos were even though I'm sure there are millions more that are just as impactful if not more. Those images are needed to be seen by everyone I believe to even bring some of the humblest people back down to earth. Following her, we listened to Kevin McCarthy who's a entertainment and film critic & Amy Takayama-Perez, who's the Dean of Admissions at George Mason University. Both of them had amazing advice about preparing for college along with a career following and doing everything in your power beforehand to get to where you want to be.
To end the evening, we met with Meghan ATB Reese who was actually our photographer throughout the entire week. She's also a writer & photographer which she touched in in her speech with us. Something she spoke about that really stood out to me was that "it's okay to fall out of love with what you want to do." I feel as though as teens we're always pressured for everything to be mapped out, and perfect when things don't always have to go as planned. It's okay for things to change.
Our final day before everything started to come to an actual end was one of my other favorites. This was the day we traveled to Capitol Hill, and met with either one of your state representatives or your senator. I chose one of my state representatives who helps represent my state's 3rd district. Congressman Jim Banks was someone who I had the honor to interview, and get to know. The interview definitely went better than expected, and helped me to remember that you definitely have to separate a person from their career. Some of the things I picked up from my interview with Mr.Banks was to learn what I can with the resources you have, to make your voice heard when you can find an outlet, and to find ways to get involved in whatever field you want to get into because connections always help. I hope that maybe one day in the future we can collaborate again. The Gala was something even more memorable. After all of our hard-work throughout the week, it was refreshing to finally have some time to laugh, dance, and enjoy myself with the people who I'd became so close to over the course of a week. That evening was definitely one for the books.
The last day almost didn't feel real. I didn't see all of my close friends (that are now family) right away so I was a little disappointed, but eventually I did get to see them when we had a meeting, and our final speaker for the week. Seeing everyone's long faces is what I feel like helped keep my level-headed along with me having went through a week-long camp experience then having to leave it all behind. The difference between those times, and this one... the people! I can't speak for all the other groups that we were broken in to, but I can speak for my own when I say that WE ARE FAMILY now. I've never felt so close to a group of people before that I'd only known for a week in my life. I honestly feel like it was a blessing in disguise.After reflecting on everything that I learned, and experience at WJMC I now realize that I don't see things the same way I used to. I not only carry myself differently, but I also view various topics & people differently. This isn't to say that I'm just this totally different person, but I surely have grown from this past week than I could've ever expected to. I cannot thank God enough for this truly amazing event that will impact me for years to come. For anyone who has an idea or has something they feel like is a calling on their life-- GO AFTER IT! Pursue your dreams without judgement or fear, and show others that you take yourself & what you want to do seriously.
Always a pleasure sharing with you, thank you.
S/N: This was still not even everything that I experienced, and learned while at WJMC. I tried to fit it all in, but I honestly couldn't. I definitely will back sure to circle back on some of the things I left out in posts following this one. I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience.
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