Bronx River is going back to the National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia in November. This convention is held twice-yearly; this fall it’s being held at Philadelphia; during this spring, Seattle. There will be keynote speakers from national news organizations, media critiques and hundreds of instructional sessions. This convention is the nation’s largest gathering where high school journalists, advisers and journalism teachers improve their craft.
From Nov.8-9, the nine lucky students attending the convention are Hashan Chowdhury, Franklin Sosa Araujo, Diosbeni Rojas, Cesar Jimenez, Zoe Reyes, Jomayra Amparo, Teagan Connolly, Briana Colon and Hawaou Kobeogo. All received scholarships to cover the registration fees. The school, along with fundraising, will help cover travel, hotel and meal expenses.
“I’m super excited to go,” said Zoe Reyes, a sophomore. She shares that going to this convention is a “ good opportunity” for a career in journalism and also thinks, “ It might look nice on college applications.”
She says it will be a great learning experience to meet other young journalists and experienced ones as well.
“Yes and No” was her answer when asked about how difficult it was to come up with her response for the application. She has lots of passion for writing and while some questions were easier to answer, some made her wonder. She imagines her future career and says “my plan for a future in journalism was harder to put in a few words.” Overall, she is hoping to gain more experience, confidence and a closer bond with friends.
“ I feel excited and honored that I got chosen,” said Diosbeni Rojas, a sophomore. He shares that writing his response for the application was “somewhat difficult” because he was trying to figure out how to properly word his thoughts. He is hoping to gain more confidence in his writing skills and learn how to come up with ideas of his own. He believes the benefit of going to this convention is to learn how to become a better journalist.’’
However, he says, “I’m not looking forward to the train ride that way.”
Briana Colon, a sophomore, comments that she is “really excited” for the approaching Philadelphia trip. She says going to this convention is a great opportunity for networking, socializing and future collaborations. She found writing her responses for the scholarship “ rather easy” because she always wanted to get into journalism due to her love of writing stories when she was younger. Her main reason for wanting to go is for inspiration and to improve her writing skills, as well as make a name for herself. Socializing is a bit difficult for her and makes her a “little nervous.”
However, she is willing to get out of her comfort zone and ready to travel. “Can’t wait for November to come,” she said.
Franklin Sosa Araujo, a sophomore, says he “ feels good” about going on the Philadelphia trip. With the upcoming convention, he hopes to improve his journalism skills and “meet new people to form new connections for the future.”
“The main thing I’m hoping to get out of the convention is exposure from more professional people,” he said.
Since the newspaper’s debut three years ago, the staff has worked hard to improve the quality of scholastic journalism, winning awards and accolades along the way. Its advisor, Deborah Porterfield, will be honored at the national convention with a Rising Star award for new newspaper advisors. The national award goes to new advisors who had an impact on high school journalism.
Ms. Porterfield says she couldn’t have earned this award without the enthusiasm of the news staff. The dedicated, hard working students have not once disappointed her. She also credits principal Gregory Fucheck, who has supported the students’ right to speak their minds and provided financial support to buy tech equipment and attend journalism conferences.
Jomayra Amparo contributed to this story.
This story was first published on Bronx River News on October 12, 2024.
