I went to the National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle knowing only two things. First, Seattle had good chocolate. Second, I knew about the people I was going with just as little as I knew about journalism. The trip changed my understanding of everything and everyone I just listed.
After finding out that our website, The Pearl Post, was a finalist for the Online Pacemaker award in March and then about the convention, I approximately calculated the price and didn’t even consider going anymore.
When I came home the same day, I told my mother and instead of agreeing that I could just stay home, she told me that I had to go. She said Seattle is an incredible city and that I would have a chance to improve and strengthen my journalism skills as well as my friendships with other members of the DPMHS Student Media. My mother told me she wouldn’t ever let me lose an opportunity like this one.
In the early morning of April 23, my grandmother and I went on the Metro bus to get to the LAX Flyaway in Van Nuys.There, we met with the other members of the DPMHS Student Media who were going to the convention and went on a Flyaway bus, which transported us to the airport. We boarded the plane at around 11 a.m. and after an extremely sleepy but pleasant flight, we landed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and spent the next hour and a half on a train that took us to the center of Seattle. The train ride was the best way to begin our trip. The view from the windows showed us the beautiful city in which we were going to spend the next five days.
We started our trip by sightseeing around Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, but on Thursday we got straight to work.
The convention, organized by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) and the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), took place in two buildings: the Seattle Sheraton Hotel and the Seattle Convention Center.
On Thursday, I was the only one who attended the digital photography pre-convention workshop led by Mike Simons, a Tesserae yearbook adviser at Corning-Painted Post High School in Corning, New York. During the workshop, which started at 9 a.m., we attended a two-hour-long lecture to help us learn how the functions of a camera give us particular results. Afterwards, we took photos in the Pike Place Market where we practiced capturing pictures of the bustling street around us. I had an especially pleasant time capturing the interaction between the sellers and the buyers at the market for the workshop’s assignment: to capture three photos that told a story. My photos included the seller in action, what they were selling and their communication with a customer.
After everyone finished their pre-convention workshops, we regrouped to attend an expo. There, we learned about different universities and colleges with journalism programs. I came back from the expo with merchandise from differentcolleges and universities like pens, stickers and even a plastic cup. Later on, we had dinner and headed to the opening ceremony. The keynote speaker, Monica Guzman, a reporter and the author of “I Never Thought of It That Way,” spoke to us about the importance of remaining unbiased when writing. I learned that I should empathize with others’ viewpoints instead of rejecting those that differ from my own.
“When it comes to curiosity, find your edge and push it,” Guzman said. “Go online, find a column about the issue (you’rewriting about). Read it asking yourself, what deep down honest human concerns inform this view.”
On Friday, I started my day by going to the “‘Long-live’ your yearbook theme” session with my classmate, Prestige Yearbook Editor Isabella Tolosa. Afterward, I attended three Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) sessions, which gave me eligibility to get a DEI Certificate. I learned how important it is to give the members of the newspaper from different backgrounds, of different races, gender and socio-economic status the opportunity to participate. I also learned that I need to be very patient with interviewees when asking them about a sensitive topic.
After the last session ended, we had lunch and then went to our contests at 4 p.m. I competed in “Editorial Cartooning,” portraying the risk sleep deprivation poses to student drivers. After our contests ended, we headed to the Seattle Convention Center where we watched the Oscar-winning documentary “The Last Repair Shop” and had a chance to meet Ben Proudfoot, the director of the documentary. The documentary tells the stories of the workers and student clients of the largest repair shop for instruments in the country.
On April 26, we started with sessions and after I completed my fourth DEI session, which was my final one before I became eligible for a certificate. I had a chance to attend some more sessions, one of which focused on how to recruit for student publications such as newsmagazine, website and yearbook.
The awards ceremony started at 3:30 p.m. announcing the Journalist of the Year winner and the individual awards. Online Editor-in-Chief Jenny Marquez won Honorable Mention in Editorial Writing, Entertainment Editor Valerie Sanchez won Honorable Mention in First-Year Photo, staff writer Alex Salcedo won Excellent in General or Spot News Photography, staff writer Jasmine Thompson won Honorable Mention in Literary Magazine: Poetry, and I won Honorable Mention in the Editorial Cartooning contest. I was very proud of myself and my fellow student journalists, both from our publication and from other ones.
Toward the end of the ceremony, the Pacemaker winners were announced. We were both anxious and excited to see the results. We supported each other when the results of the contests we participated in were announced. We cheered for the ones who won. And reassured the ones who didn’t that they would win next time.
Even though we didn’t win this time, it was our website’s seventh time as a finalist for this award. We were proud of ourselves and each other for doing such a great job this year. Our website placed tenth in Best of Show for Website (fewer than 1,800 students). To celebrate our accomplishments, we went to the Crab Pot restaurant to celebrate and eat the famous Seattle seafood, like crabs and shrimp, there.
On April 27, on our last day in Seattle, we spent the rest of our time sightseeing. We went on an Argosy Cruise Harbor Tour and visited the Museum of Pop Culture.
The convention really helped me get to know my classmates better and feel more comfortable opening up to them and building an overall connection with them. After only five days at the convention, I learned to not be afraid to join conversations and share my opinions.
