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[aylinwjmc]

The WJMC Experience: Day 3

We started the day off with breakfast before heading out to town hall to listen to the former CEO of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb. His speech was unique from other speeches we've heard thus far because it was very question driven and interactive. After hearing from him, we then got to hear from Tom Jackman, a reporter with the Washington Post. What was really interesting about him was that he went around and got some students' opinions on climate change. He let us talk amongst ourselves for 10 minutes, then he showed us the story he came up with in that time! It was great to see his work in action!

We left for lunch at Nighthawk Pizza. The pizza itself was okay, but the shop had a bunch of other shops nearby that we were free to go to! I went to an ice cream shop that had some of the best coconut ice cream I've ever had! It was so creamy and had coconut shavings in it!

Once we were done shopping, we went to the National Press Club to hear from 2 more speakers. The first speaker was Carmella Boykin, a member of the Washington Post's TikTok team. She was effortlessly able to be relatable and engaging, it was great to see her process of making TikToks and what led her to that path in journalism!

The next speaker was Nisha Chittal, a managing editor for VOX. She was really inspirational in describing her non-linear journey in journalism!

After hearing from her, we came back to campus for dinner, then had another color group meeting. We talked about smart brevity, Axion and overviewed our newsroom simulation. Then, we finished off the night with color feud! It was basically family feud, where the answers were submitted through a survey by the staff. Coral Crew tied for 5th place, but the energy was so fun!

I'll try to post about day 4 (today) tonight since tomorrow will be SUPER busy! See you tomorrow!

[aylinwjmc]

The WJMC Experience: Day 2

After an uncomfortable nights sleep and a filling breakfast at the Southside Dining Hall, the day was started by another color group meeting, the topic being the first amendment! To learn about how it correlates to journalism, we simulated a school board meeting where student journalists advocated for an article about a teacher changing grades to be published, while the principal argued against it being published. I was assigned as one of the school board members, so there wasn't much for me to do until decision time came. Everyone in the simulation gets a backstory to go along with their character, however it was only really intended for the student journalists and principal, so we school board members didn't get the chance to incorporate it, something I was quite disappointed about. With that said, I'll leave you with a quote from one of my fellow school board members that unfortunately was cut, but demonstrates why I was disappointed:

"As a gun-bearing man of God, I believe in integrity, something my two ex-wives didn't."

After our color meeting, we stopped to get tacos at Banditos, then went to the Planet Word Museum. While we were there, we got to hear from Randi Richardson; a WJMC alumina and journalist with NBC News. She gave great advice on how to write different types of stories and overall had great energy! After hearing from her, we got to explore the museum! It wasn't what I expected at all and had some great exhibits. Two of my favorites were the book exhibit and the word wall. The book exhibit had books come to life, something I enjoyed seeing with some of my favorite books.

Here's an example of how it worked, featuring my faviorite comic Calvin and Hobbes!

The word wall was not only stunning, but also had an interactive, fun yet informative presentation to go along with it!

After Planet Word, we left to get dinner from Dudley's, a sports bar. Then, we went to the White House!

The police made everyone move from the street, so I was able to snag some clear views of the White House!

Right behind where I was standing, there was this old man yelling to us about how the government was corrupt and that we needed to be the change in the world before it's too late. Not exactly relevant, but look at this man and tell me he isn't an icon?

Our final destination for the night was the WW2 Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, both beautiful sights. They both also gave a good view of Washington memorial. After getting our sights in and getting overpriced ice cream ($11?!), we headed back to the dorms to get some much needed sleep.

This was an amazing first full day! I'll be back tomorrow to talk about day 3!

[aylinwjmc]

The WJMC Experience: Day 1

Well, yesterday was quite the day, so let's talk about it!

When I met with the WJMC staff at the airports, I also met some correspondents from Florida, one of who happened to be in my color group! They were all friendly and nice.

Once we got to campus, it started raining, so we all hurried inside to get our ID badge and room key. This is where my first problem occurred: my ID picture was completely wrong. Luckily, my pass should come in by tomorrow, so for now...

I'm a staff member!

By the time I arrived on campus, I missed the campus tour, so I only had time to unpack and get ready for dinner. My room is at the end of a hallway on the 4th floor. During this time I also met my roommate, which was a little awkward, but she was nice! And then came time to meet my color group (GO CORAL CREW) and go to dinner. The food was great, and we got to listen to Savannah Behrmann speak. She gave us some great advice about the conference and the journalism industry.

There she is!

After that, we left dinner and went to our first official color group meeting. We played a game called trainwreck to get to know each other, which was really fun! Then, we learned about networking, our professional image and elevator pitches. We finished off the night by delivering our pitches before heading to bed.

Sorry this post is late, today was so busy I barely had time! I got lots of pictures though, so be on the lookout tomorrow!

[aylinwjmc]

The WJMC Experience: Prologue

Well, I guess this is happening. My name is Aylin (pronounced "I lean"), and I am attending the 2023 Washington Journalism and Media Conference.

I'll be completely honest, trip didn't feel real until about an hour ago. Granted, whenever I've flown it never feels real until the day of. I'd like to think I fly more frequently than others do. With a mother who loves travel and extended family living in different parts of the country, it's only natural. I've been to Florida for my grandparents, Arizona for my mom's brothers, California for my cousins wedding, and Mexico for my mom's extended family. Hell, I've even flown to Japan for my quinceañera, and none of those trips felt real prior.

This trip to the WJMC is no different. Sure, once I confirmed that the invitation in the mail wasn't some scam, it became exciting, but that was November. Other things come up, and this trip moved to the back of my head for a while. Even as I started shopping for outfits and reading books off the reading list, this trip didn't feel real.

Then, it became real. The same moment every trip previous became real. The moment I drive past the Mall of America and got on I94-E. I only ever go this route when I go to the airport, so over the years, I've associated this route with travel. But no matter how much I reassure myself prior to leaving, all of my anxieties come crashing down at this very moment. And it hits me:

Oh sh*t.

I'm traveling 950 miles away from home to a place I have never been, alone. "What have I gotten myself into?"

As I sit on this plane waiting for take off, I'm still asking myself this. Although, as dramatic as I make this whole thing seem, I am truly excited about this experience. Journalism isn't highly valued at my high school, so I'm excited to learn more about the field and improve my writing skills!

I'll try to do an update at the end of every day, so I'll give an update on what happens at the end of today.