gwen-wjmc

[gwen-wjmc]

PICS!!!

[gwen-wjmc]

WJMC Day 6

I don’t want to think about this being the last day at WJMC. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and for all the incredible, beautiful, talented people I met. Even if I don’t decide to pursue journalism, knowing that the people I met this week are the future of the field is comforting.

I honestly don’t want to describe everything that happened today, but there were tears, hugs, and lots of promises to keep in touch.

Also, playing Taylor Swift’s Long Live during the photo montage was DIABOLICAL. It had my friends and I in TEARS!!!!

I will miss everyone so much, but I know I’ll see them again and I cannot wait.

“🎶family reunion, who we introducing🎶 - Marooney Tunes! - That’s all, folks!”

Over and out. 📻

[gwen-wjmc]

WJMC Day 5

Today was probably the most memorable out of the whole week! I had so many incredible experiences and so much fun, too!

First we stopped by the Capitol for a BIGGGG group photo… but there was a disruption. A little duckling was out of the water and didn’t know how to get back in!! But with a little teamwork and some VERY encouraging and helpful cheering from the crowd the little guy got back home!!

Next, I got to interview Congresswoman Emelia Sykes! It took a lot of effort and patience to get the meeting set up, but it was well worth it and I feel so lucky that I had that opportunity. I also got to be with her staff for much longer than I was with her, and they were all so welcoming and very helpful. I learned a lot just being around them and I will definitely take their advice and look into and internship at Congresswoman Sykes’s office in the future.

After that I sort of got ditched by my walking partner… but I did not dismay!! I found someone else to walk with, and I’m honestly really happy that I did because she was so fun to talk to and we share SO MANY INTERESTS!!!

We went to the Hirshhorn Museum of Art and they had some great exhibits! Then we walked over to the Natural History Museum to eat lunch (which was SO GOOD! THE MAC AND CHEESE WAS DELISH)

When we got back to campus we started prepping for the gala!!! My friends and I shared a room to do our makeup and get perty together ( :

Then we were off! The gala was so great! Honestly it was better than any high school I’ve been to. I can’t really describe it, but we danced HARD!! And let’s just say no one had their voice in tact by the end of the night.

SO SAD that tomorrow is the LAST DAY!!!

I can’t believe how fast these days have flown by…

Over 📻

[gwen-wjmc]

WJMC Day 4

Today started great with Meghan A.T.B. Reese as our first speaker. She talked about all her different jobs throughout her multi-media journalism career and I liked that she emphasized that when journalism is in danger, democracy is in danger.

Our second speaker was Alan Byrd who talked about college admissions. He really walked us through the ins and outs of the process like no one else has for me. He’s been on both sides of admissions as a college counselor and admissions officer so I trust his word, and my notes are extensive if not a little over the top.

The third thing we did today was our news room simulation. It was a doozy!

Let’s just say I don’t love working on a hypothetical news story on 5 hours of sleep.

However my favorite thing today was next! We got to see our career exploration speakers, who we chose, and I saw Kayla Sharpe. Kayla currently works at Bloomberg but she’s had all kinds of positions. I liked when she gave the advice of “spinning a story forward. And I finally got a question answered! I asked if she had noticed a lack of resources for newer or less connected journalists, and she said that as long as you think outside the box about what a journalist can be then there are plenty of opportunities.

Our networking mixer was next, which was not nearly as horrible as I expected it to be. I talked to a few people and got a few questions about the industry answered and that’s about it.

So excited for the gala tomorrow, but I’m honestly sad it’s the last day.

Also Randi Richardson followed me back on insta!!! WHAT?!?!!!

Over 📻

[gwen-wjmc]

WJMC Day 3

This morning was SO COOL!! We got to see Brian Lamb speak and he gave us tons of good advice and stories about his time in journalism. He was so engaging, and it didn’t feel like he was talking down to us (which a lot of adults tend to do with teens 😕)

Right after Brian we saw Tom Jackman from the Washington Post. He wrote a story live in front of us after interviewing a few people in the audience to show us the process of putting together a breaking news piece.

After lunch a few of us stopped by TJMaxx (i got some pants 😗) and got ice cream from an ADORABLE old lady.

We got to visit the National Press Club where journalists who don’t have an office can go to work on their stories, usually right after a press briefing. There we saw Carmella Boykin and Nisha Chittal speak.

Carmella works as a TikTok news media manager, and she told us all about how she got there and how she maintains the Washington Post’s account.

Nisha spoke about her career path and how she got to where she is at Vox, but the highlight for me of her speech was when she talked about still being a successful journalist without all kinds of “connections���. Honestly it has felt icky to think you need to know everyone and hear “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” every 10 minutes.

After dinner we had another group meeting where we prepped for tomorrow’s simulation (yay…). After that, we got to play color group feud (like family feud) which was actually really fun!! Maroon lost super bad tho lol

Over 📻

[gwen-wjmc]

Photos WJMC Day 2

[gwen-wjmc]

WJMC Day 2

Day two at WJMC is down! We were so busy today that this morning feels like last week!!

We started off with a group meeting where we had a first amendment simulation. Each of us got a character, and we had to go through a situation where first amendment rights were being infringed upon, and act out what our character would do. Our group’s situation had to do with student journalists being censored by their school, so something I’ve actually dealt with.

Lunch was great! The place had great food, and what looked like a portrait of Taylor Swift in Día de los Muertos makeup on the wall!!

After lunch we went to Planet Word to see Randi Richardson speak. Her speech was really helpful because she talked about the outline she uses to approach different kinds of stories. She also shared insight on how to be a good interviewer and was honest about how difficult the field of journalism can be at times.

When Randi finished we got to explore the museum which had all kinds of cool exhibits on language, and even karaoke! I did Let It Go with some friends!!

After that we hit the White House which was cool until the police shooed everyone off the sidewalk and into the park. Still don’t know what went down there… but I was feeling very patriotic 🫡🇺🇸

The monument tour was great minus the bugs and sweat! Overall it was a great second day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow!!

Over 📻

[gwen-wjmc]

WJMC Day 1

First day at WJMC is done!

Before arriving at the campus I took a quick impromptu tour of part of Baltimore with my mom. The shops we visited were so cute, and I got some great earrings!!!

Once we got to campus the staff was so nice, and we got right where we needed to be. Soon I was at ‘The Hub’ where I checked in with the maroon color group. (everyone cheers when you walk in, its terrifying but cool)

Later we had our first color group meeting (technically meeting zero…) where we made a cheer (🎶family reunion, who we introducing🎶 - Marooney Tunes! - That’s all, folks!) and got to know some people in our group.

Dinner was great! We had a speaker, Savannah Behrmann, who talked about the realities of the journalism field, what inspires her to keep going, and what she got from WJMC when she attended 10 years ago at 16. It was so good to hear, and I got to know my group mates more!

On to meeting No. 1! We practiced networking, elevator pitches, and got ready to talk about the first amendment tomorrow.

I’m really looking forward to the rest of the week! I’m only worried about the heat and humidity. My hair will NOT stay put.

For now, goodnight!

Over 📻

[gwen-wjmc]

Hi! I’m Gwen.

I’m a rising senior at Firestone high school, an editor on our school paper The Firestone Focus, and an attendee on the 2023 Washington Journalism and Media Conference with George Mason University.

I’m mainly interested in political journalism because I think it’s an incredibly important piece of democracy that we need to uphold.

The conference starts tomorrow, and I’m so excited. I feel really lucky to be able to attend and I’m really looking forward to every new experience for the next week.

I’ll be using this blog to keep track of my time with George Mason, and to write about the opportunities and experiences I have!

Wish me luck, and feel free to follow along!! ( :