Department of Journalism and Mass Communications
Samford University - Birmingham, AL
Samford University’s Journalism and Mass Communication Department sponsors an annual JMC Workshop for Alabama high school students. The workshop is funded by a grant from the Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation.
Samford JMC professors and students served as hosts and hostesses during the workshop. There were a total of 261 high school students and faculty in attendance from 16 high schools from around the state. These participants assembled at Samford to learn more about majoring in journalism and the career paths that arise from a JMC degree.
The featured guest speaker was Fran Curry, a news anchor and reporter for the Birmingham NBC station. Her message was entitled, “Why I do what I do and what I wish I had known about it when I was younger.”
Mass media writing, editing, production and design were the main topics discussed by the guest speakers. Their presentations at the workshop focused on a specific discipline of journalism such as print or broadcast. Students and their faculty advisors were able to attend sessions that applied to their school publications and future career interests.
The speakers also showed how media convergence is spreading across all fields of media. A few of the featured speakers were designer Nap Monsterio from the The Birmingham News, reporter Ann Velasco from The Birmingham News, news anchor Devon Walsh from FOX 6, sports columnist Ray Melick from The Birmingham News and Scarlet Thompson the Director of Communications and Marketing for Alabama, American Cancer Society. Overall the workshop educated the high school students and enabled them to see possible outcomes of majoring in JMC.
