Nazareth Journalism students and members of The Announcer Club had the opportunity to attend the annual High School Journalism Day at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism on Friday, October 10. Seniors Abigail Amaya and Elisa Drda, Junior Lorelai Bowen, Sophomores Helen Argueta, Lucy Eulgen and Gabrielle Gergits and Freshman Parker Pena along with Guidance counselor Jennifer Sheehan and Journalism teacher Jennifer Gerdes attended.
Student journalists from across the city of Chicago and suburbs gathered for breakfast before the program began in the McCormick Foundation Center.
The day’s keynote speaker was New Jersey native Jim DeRogatis who works as a professor, music critic and cohost of WBEZ’s Sound Opinions. DeRogatis colorfully shared stories about his long career which began in his role as a beat reporter, but later he moved into the position of music critic and author. Student journalists took notes as he shared his “10 Journalism Life Lessons” and told how he played a key role in breaking the story of disgraced R&B artist, R. Kelly.
One of the most important lessons DeRogatis shared was Journalism Life Lesson #1: “Nobody starts out covering the beat they dream of covering, but every beat is interesting, because every single person is interesting, if you take the time to listen to their story,” said DeRogatis.
Students broke out into workshops covering topics including “Becoming Your Favorite News Anchor,” “How to Win at Sports” and “Narrative Structure: How to Build a Better Story.” After attending two workshops, all students and advisors met again for lunch and an optional workshop on how to write compelling college essays.
Drda attended the “Interviewing Techniques” workshop led by career journalist and Medill Professor Karen Springen. Drda said she was inspired by a lot of what Springen had to say, but the advice that really resonated with her was, “Try to understand – even if you don’t agree.”
Bowen was struck by hearing from working journalists who explained that the job is not always easy. She learned that there are often challenges and struggles in the profession, but sometimes there are lucky breaks for those journalists who follow their leads. “My favorite part of our Northwestern trip was getting to see all the skills and hardships that older journalists have gone through, and seeing how we as journalists today can overcome those hardships too,” she said.
The group took a brief tour of a small section of the Northwestern campus and visited the lively student union bookstore and Starbucks.
Amaya learned a lot from the journalists that presented throughout the morning. Her main take away was, “It’s important to take a leap of faith when it comes to being a journalist: to step outside of your comfort zone and accept the truth from all people’s perspectives,” she said.
Gergits said, “I liked learning about how big of an impact journalism can have on people during the Northwestern high school journalism day.”
The trip to Northwestern was a success on many levels: Learning from professional, working reporters and some of the most esteemed journalism educators in the country; being able to be a part of a larger network of student journalists from across the Chicagoland area; and spending a fall day on the lakeside campus of beautiful Northwestern University.
