The Write Stuff: The George Mason Washington Journalism and Media Conference
Getting accepted to The George Mason Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) was a surprising experience. I applied after being nominated by my journalism teacher, unsure of the details but knowing that anything to do with writing intrigued me enough to give it a shot.
After looking into it more, I found out that WJMC was a week-long conference hosted by George Mason University geared towards rising high school juniors and seniors, specifically those with an interest in journalism and media.
My acceptance letter arrived in December and seven months later I was packing my bags, excited to make the hour drive to the GMU campus. My journey was much shorter than most, people had come from all around the country, some even traveling from places like France and Puerto Rico.
Once I arrived, I made my way to my dorm and waited for my roommate to arrive, the sign on my door indicating she was from Detroit. After we met, I made my way to “The Hub”, a congregating place where we met our color groups, the people we would be spending most of our trip with. I was with the lime group, and amongst them I met amazing people and made friends scattered across America.
That night we had our first dinner and listened to our first speaker, Alexis Johnson, an Emmy-winning correspondent based in Washington D.C.
Day two brought on an array of lessons, where we walked through simulations, teaching us how to do research and conduct persuasive arguments. We also learned about the importance of freedom of press, and where the boundaries lie. After that we got the chance to tour Planet Word and listen to speaker Doni Holloway, an award-winning multimedia journalist and WJMC alumni. He gave a heartwarming speech about how drawbacks don’t mean the end and the beauty of a full circle moment. Then we toured some iconic sights of D.C, like the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The following day, bright and early, we heard from speaker Andrias White Murdaugh, an award winning event producer and broadcast journalist. Her biggest piece of advice was “raise your hand, say yes, and give it a try.”
Kevin McCarthy, a film critic and entertainment reporter, also shared similar advice of, “just say yes”, and shared an iconic story of dancing on the news in a cheerleading outfit as an intern, just for the opportunity to be on the broadcast.
Then came the walk to the National Press Club, where we heard from speakers Nicholas Johnston, publisher of Axios, and Susan Goldberg, President and CEO of GBH. Both gave great advice, especially Nicholas Johnston who told of how work ethic will get you further in the journalism business than anything else.
Day four came quickly, the trip was almost over and yet we still had so much left to experience. Starting off with speaker, Anna Rose Layden, a young political photojournalist with a hefty portfolio, filled with intriguing photos of recent important moments in American politics.
Afterwards we got some much needed and extremely helpful advice from Dr. Alan Byrd, the dean of admissions at GMU.
From all the listening and advice we had been given, we then got the chance to put it all into practice when we got into our color groups and did story pitches, acting as writers for Axios. It taught us the importance of selling yourself and your story, and how to master brevity writing.
The final day was dedicated to exploring D.C.. Personally, I was able to go to the National Gallery of Art, the Natural History Museum, and the DC Botanical Gardens, all of which gave me a fonder appreciation for our capital city.
The next day, when all our goodbyes were said, I was able to exit WJMC knowing I had made friends and connections in states all across America, and that I was never going to forget the newfound skills I had mastered.
