During their three-day stay, students will listen to keynote speakers (including Nigel Jaquiss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for Willamette Week), meet with professional journalists, and attend workshops on everything from writing basics and the role of women in sports reporting to journalism ethics and the latest in multimedia.
A successful fundraising push in March enabled OTT to offer financial support to five students: Fuey Saechao and Carolyn Saephan (Media Academy); Julie Ortega and Bianca Ramos (Unity High); and Pamela Tapia (EXCEL High School).
For some of these students, going to Portland is a real first — the first time they've been out of the Bay Area, the first time they've been on a plane, the first time they'll meet other journalism students from around the country.
In an essay applying for the trip, sophomore Julie Ortega said that journalism helps her express herself and give back to her community.
"Journalists have an important role in society because they are the main people who are able to inform people about many news and events," Ortega wrote. "They tell people what they think is unfair or unjust .... without it, people will not be able to know about events that happen or what the government is planning to do."
We couldn't agree more. Congratulations to Julie and all of our student journalists!
