Ms. Moore, an English and journalism teacher, book club adviser, and UTLA chapter chair, took Kaylee Herrera and I to the CSUN campus for journalism day. We were welcomed by faculty and staff. Upon arrival, we were seated in Nordhoff Hall 113 and given a brief introduction to what we would be doing.
Six different competition topics were presented: news and opinion, features, sports, photography, videography, and an adviser session.
Kaylee Herrera and I participated in the features competition, which lasted from 9:25 to 10:50 a.m. The competition was very stressful, but we prevailed and were able to finish our feature story on time.
Right after the competition, we were able to explore and go to two out of six different workshops, which were by LAT fellow Jireh Deng. He talked about teaching yourself visual and audio journalism skills. A podcast producer named Andres Soto, who is a project production assistant at ESPN, explained how he became a sports reporter and what sports reporters do. Brittny Mejia, a metro reporter for LA Times, and Paul Roa, a photojournalist for LA Times, were unfortunately unable to make it. At the CSUN journalism department, there was a meet and greet with faculty and also a tour for participants.
After the workshop segment of the event, CSUN was kind enough to provide a selection of subway sandwiches for all participants to enjoy for lunch. After lunch, there was an award ceremony for the best students who participated in the morning competitions.
After the ceremony, Eder Diaz Santillan gave a special heartwarming speech from the podium. He went on to explain his hardships and struggles, as well as his journey throughout college. He has maintained determination and dedication throughout his career and inspired not only Kaylee Herrera and me but everyone who attended.
