Eight School of Journalism and Mass Communications broadcast journalism students attended CNN Academy, CNN’s global journalism training initiative, held at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta Oct. 12–17.

Hailey Brown, Talia Cavalline, Jordan Felder, Jalen Long, Clarissa Meier, Dakota Morris, Abigail Tam and Emma Wyatt were chosen from a highly competitive pool of SJMC students to take part in the intensive, weeklong storytelling program, which brought together students from 18 other colleges and universities across the country. 

"Fantastic," is how senior instructor Laura Smith, who accompanied the students, described the Academy experience. 

"The students showed up every day ready to work hard and proved throughout the week just how professional and highly skilled they are," she said.  "Each played a critical role on their respective production teams. I’m so proud of the bright light they shined on our program!"

Smith credited the School of Journalism and Mass Communications for its vital role in making the trip possible, noting that the school not only encouraged students to attend the Academy but also helped cover the majority of their expenses.

“We truly couldn’t have done this without the unwavering support of Director Damion Waymer,” she said. “He championed this opportunity from the very beginning and said ‘yes’ to us every step of the way, ensuring that our students could fully experience and benefit from this incredible program.”

The Workshops

The Academy featured workshop sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., which were led by a number of CNN anchors and correspondents including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Isabel Rosales, Ryan Young, Coy Wire and Don Riddell.

The practical workshops were designed to enhance their reporting, production and storytelling competencies. Instructional topics included mobile journalism, open-source investigations, artificial intelligence, media ethics and writing for digital platforms. 

Senior Jordan Felder particularly enjoyed meeting and hearing from correspondent Coy Wire, who pursued journalism after a professional football career. "It was a full circle moment to be standing with Mr. Wire, as I have been watching CNN10 since my early days in grade school when Carl Azuz was the host," he said.

"One thing that I took away from my talk with Coy was not to be afraid to ask questions and think critically about how to make engaging stories. I walked away believing that the key to good storytelling is the willingness to become a vessel for others experiences." 

Senior Talia Cavalline described the CNN Academy as one of the most rewarding experiences of her college career.

"With the journalism industry changing so much with new developments like AI and social media, CNN Academy helped me to feel better prepared as I get ready to enter the professional world myself," she said. "It was almost like a journalism summer camp, getting to meet such talented journalists from across the country and building new relationships and skills that will last through my professional career."

 

Experiential Learning Opportunity

As part of the experiential component, participants were assigned to one of 16 groups to develop, film and edit original stories across the city of Atlanta. Their completed projects were presented at the conclusion of the five-day program, demonstrating their growth and application of the skills acquired through the academy. 

Senior Emma Wyatt was part of the group which took top honors for their package, which included a video and a printed piece for digital media. Read what she said about her experience and watch the award-winning video.

Emma Wyatt — In her own words

The sixteen groups were split up and randomly assigned one of four locations that CNN selected.  My group was assigned the aquarium.

I was in a group of six, including myself (YAY group 7). The rules CNN gave to us for the project were to find a story, which at first seemed terrifying — having to find one story in three hours. My team and I knew we wanted to do something different and out of the ordinary, and the story actually ended up finding us.

During our time at the aquarium, we came across an AP psychology teacher who was taking her class there for the first time. She had grown up going to the aquarium, and her dad, who worked at Home Depot, helped build it. Her name is even on a scale in the building. Our main character, however, was a couple celebrating their honeymoon at the aquarium. They were from Virginia, and their first date was at the Virginia Aquarium, where they also got married.

Then it all made sense. We knew what our story had to be about. In the heart of a landlocked city, the sea still finds a way to reach people behind the glass, whether for learning or love. We knew we had an emotional piece, one that would make people feel something — one where you felt connected.

My role in the project was to write the script. I take pride in my ability to narrate and make words have meaning. I believe it truly is not about what you say, but how you say it, and I knew this needed to feel a bit poetic. It’s not every day you come across such great characters for a piece like this.

I was working with students from the University of Alabama, Kent State, Georgia Tech, Spelman College and the University of Miami. Everyone was so talented. While someone was editing, another person was selecting B-roll, others were writing our print story and the teamwork went on until the last second on the clock.

At the end of the day, and this may sound cliché, but I think my group won not just because of our story, but because you put six journalists who cared about making an impact in a room, and we all had the same goal.

I think sometimes it’s easy in this industry to let an ego get in the way and for people to try and be a one-man show, but I learned from this experience that perspective is everything. I learned so much from my peers, and seeing how people do things differently made me feel like I was able to grow in my capabilities and understanding, which is such a beautiful thing.