Media Production students spent April 15th through the 18th in Minneapolis, Minnesota attending a Journalism Education Association (JEA) Conference.
Seven students traveled from Freeport, Illinois to Minneapolis, Minnesota to participate in the JEA Conference to learn more about the journalism field.
This opportunity came to life greatly due to the $1,000 fund that was given to the media production pathway.
Wednesday, April 15th was spent traveling and shopping at the Mall of America. This was many of the students’ first time ever visiting the Mall of America, making it a very exciting experience.
Senior, Madelyne Spaide said, “I thought that I could have been there for hours, there were so many fun things to do.”
April 16th was spent visiting a sculpture garden and the University of Minnesota. The students were able to go on a college tour of the main campus and witness what it might be like to be a student at the University of Minnesota.
Junior, Maura Mittelsteadt said, “It was surreal knowing that the one college I am set on attending is beautiful and it is an option for me to go to, I was happy that I got to see it.”
Later that evening they attended the keynote, with an inspiring speech by John Bream. He was a famous journalist who had a very successful career covering musicians from all over the country. He touched on his experiences with legends like Prince, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Taylor Swift.
Friday, April 17th was the day of the JEA Conference. Different sessions taught by various professors, journalists, teachers, and even students, were running each hour throughout the day.
Students had the opportunity to pick from the wide assortment of sessions, ranging from food journalism all the way to color theory.
Junior, Mariah Dixon Plunkett said, “My favorite session was How to Interview like a Pro. I learned how to always ask follow up questions and we interacted the whole session.”
The conference was an inspiring and amazing opportunity for media production students to further explore not only different journalism fields but also, themselves.
