HW Media Students competed at the Los Angeles Times High School Insider’s Journalism Day (J-Day) at California State University of Northridge on Oct. 26.
Over 150 students from all over Los Angeles competed in several categories including opinion, news, features, sports and photography. After hearing from a speaker for 30 minutes, students were given one hour to write an article which would later be judged.
LA Times High School Insider’s Project Lead and organizer of the event Rebecca Castillo said she was encouraged that students were interested in J-Day and the opportunities available to them.
“It’s nice to know that so many people are so excited to learn about journalism, and we had so many great workshops for students to participate in this year too,” Castillo said.
Following the writing sessions, students chose two workshops where they heard from journalists, focusing on specific topics such as the Art of Interviewing and Advancing your Career.
Casey Scaduto, a senior at Palisades Charter High School and the second-place winner of the sports photography competition, said she enjoyed learning from a member of the LA Times and felt it gave her the tools to become a better journalist.
“It was really cool to meet a reporter from the LA Times, just to hear him talk about interviewing and give advice, it was really insightful,” Scaduto said. “It helped me understand how to better prepare [for my interviews] and how to frame my questions”
Lunch was provided and students heard from keynote speakers. Finally, awards from each category were announced at the end of the day. Castillo said that recognizing the winners of the day has always been a highlight of the event.
“I always love the awards ceremony,” Castillo said. “Students get really excited about winning, and it’s really cool to see their hard work pay off during the competitions. Seeing that kind of work pay off is a really good feeling.”
Scaduto said she enjoyed the event, engaging with people through the journalism field and participating in workshops.
“I had a really great time,” Scaduto said. “I thought it was really interesting to get to hear from a bunch of different journalists and get to do the workshops.”
Kara Jazaeri ’27, a student at HW Media, attended the conference and said she is eager to use her apply the skills she developed to The Chronicle.
“J-Day was a fantastic learning opportunity,” Jazaeri said. “I got to connect with lots of other young, aspiring journalists, and I’m excited to take what I learned and bring it to The Chronicle.”
