#cpbn learning lab

[jmayouthmedia]

The Vicarious Athlete

"It was a slant so I was lined up on the left. I ran, turned, the pass was already in the air. I jumped, I caught it and then I got blasted..." -Khamari Israel, Student at JMA

From playing sports to reporting on them, JMA Student Khamari Israel tells the story of how an injury sidelined his football-playing dreams and directed him towards a new path.

Interviewed by JMA Student Ashana Rampertab

Edited by JMA Student Liz Gomez

[cpbnmedialab]

Every Word Counts

David DesRoches had an interest in music until a series of global events led him on the path to journalism. The young songwriter was in college and never considered the “flaws” in America’s Global Policy. However, the attacks on 9/11 persuaded him to care for world events.

While working for a Virginia newspaper, his 2009 article on bio-solids in agriculture sparked him to connect with his stories. He learned that farmers were growing crops with recycled sewage. “I wanted to fix things that are broken,” says DesRoches.

DesRoches does not consider himself an activist but a realist. “There are so many things wrong in the world,” he says. “Journalists need to uphold the stories.”

Within months of calling and writing letters, DesRoches landed a career with WNPR. “I have an urge to tell stories,” he says. “This job is for me!”

Although journalism is not the most lucrative field, DesRoches is passionate about it because he’s fulfilling a public service. “I can sleep well at night,” says DesRoches. “I just won’t sleep on a very nice bed.”