On Friday October fifth, seven students from the LFA’s journalism classes attended Northwestern’s Medill high school Journalism day. One-hundred and fifty students from around the Chicago area attended.  

Our goal is to educate and inspire future journalists. Students get a glimpse of how far a career in journalism can take them while learning practical information on different skills and techniques. They also see first-hand what it’s like to be a college student studying journalism, is the official statement from the Medill website’s information page.

“I like having the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a journalism student on Northwestern Campus,” stated Tyler Watts a sophomore in Journalism I.

The day started with a talk from Kevin Coval from Young Chicago Authors and Co-founder of louder than a bomb. He spoke about the power of storytelling and why it’s important to approach journalism as telling a story rather than reporting on an event. He then left the stage for the young poet laureate of Chicago, Kara Jackson who read us a few of her poems.

LFA students then participated in mini classes focused on the fundamentals of shooting and editing, television broadcasting, interview tips, media design, documentaries, social media and photojournalism.

“[The classes were] really cool. Great chance to learn about journalism in an immersive experience. Have opportunities we wouldn’t have otherwise had and have access to facilities we wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” said Rachel Johns a sophomore in Journalism I.

“[The teachers were] so professional. Despite the fact they’re leaders in their field, they’re really nice to high school students,” said Ben Cheng a sophomore in Journalism I.

Overall, the day was a very impactful experience for LFA’s journalism students and hopefully will be a jumping off point for trying new things in LFA’s journalism program.

“It was a really neat experience. I definitely learned a lot. I want to bring the skills I learned here [at Medill] back to the classroom,” said Audrey McGrail a junior in Journalism II.