Immersive Summer Camp Enables High School Students to Become Journalists

Jorge Olivera looks over the video he shot of Maxcy Hall and makes a few edits, perfecting the story he is telling. Though he is still in high school, he spent a week as a college student this summer, learning from University faculty and immersing himself in journalism on the University’s campus.

Olivera, a rising junior who hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was in Connecticut to visit his grandparents in Hamden. He also spent a week attending J-Camp: Fundamentals of News Writing and Presenting, one of the University’s Summer Youth Academies. It prepares students entering grades 9-12 in the upcoming school year to be truth-tellers while offering exciting hands-on learning opportunities in the University’s state-of-the-art facilities.

“Learning about journalism gives me writing and social skills,” said Olivera. “It has been a great way to explore the things I’m interested in. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve gotten to learn about different types of writing as well as the importance of deadlines.”

‘Good to have this experience before I start college’

J-Camp is a fun way for students to explore myriad facets of journalism, such as finding news, writing, and shooting and editing video. They learn how to apply news judgment, write for print and for video, and to conduct interviews. They have the opportunity to operate ENG cameras and edit video using Adobe Premiere Pro, tools that many journalists use every day.

Olivera and his fellow journalist-in-training, Giovanni Lavado, were collaborating on a report about rumors of ghosts in Maxcy Hall. A rising senior at North Haven High School, Lavado has taken a television production class at school, and he already knew how to use Adobe Premiere Pro. J-Camp offered him new opportunities to further build his skills.

“I am learning so much,” he said. “I’ve taken a lot of notes. I definitely think what I’ve learned here will help me.”

The program was a unique and exciting learning opportunity for Lavado in another way – it gave him a glimpse of what college life might be like. This summer, for the first time, the University offered students taking part in the Summer Youth Academies the opportunity to stay on campus in a residence hall. Lavado did just that, and he and his peers had fun getting to know each other. Staff offered a variety of activities for them, including karaoke and board games.

“It’s great being at the University,” he said. “It has helped me get the feel of being at a university while exploring a potential major. It has been good to have this experience before I start college.”

‘It’s like they’re already in college’

During the day, Lavado and his fellow journalism students were learning from two of the University’s talented faculty members. Prof. Susan Campbell, M.S. and Prof. Wayne Edwards, award-winning journalists and professors in the University’s Communication, Film, and Media Studies Department led the program.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, Prof. Campbell has a diverse media background. A staff writer and columnist for The Hartford Courant for 25 years, she has written for a wide range of publications. She was inspired by the potential she saw in the students she interacted with as part of J-Camp.

“This has been incredible,” said Prof. Campbell, adviser for University’s award-winning student-run newspaper, The Charger Bulletin. “These students come in ready every day. I’m so impressed with them. I’d gladly do this camp again.”

Prof. Edwards, an Emmy award-winning production leader with more than fifteen years’ experience in broadcasting and multi-media production, has served in a variety of roles at ESPN. He, too, was impressed by the high school students he instructed.

“They are great to work with – very inquisitive and engaged,” he said. “They ask the right questions. It’s like they’re already in college.”

‘Made it easier for me to learn’

Profs. Campbell and Edwards shared their skills and industry experience with the students as they discussed writing and presented news in the University’s cutting-edge television studio.

Hana Beauregard applied what she’d learned as she worked on her news story. She and her peers were creating a piece about the construction outside Maxcy Hall. A rising sophomore who is involved with her school newspaper, she was excited to learn new skills that, she believes, will be invaluable.

“I love writing and journalism,” she said. “The writing tips will help me, and interviewing helps with public speaking. This camp was very different from school because we worked in small groups, and that’s important for me. I’m quiet, and this made it easier for me to learn.”