FAIRBORN — One lucky Fairborn High School student was chosen to attend a prestigious journalism conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.
Emma Miller, a junior at Fairborn High School and was selected to represent Fairborn as a National Youth Correspondent to the 2024 Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) at George Mason University.
The WJMC is an annual week-long program designed with exceptional high school students in mind, focusing on hands-on learning techniques and developing the skills found early in students’ academic career.
Miller said she’s never done anything like this before, and she’s excited to learn more about the field of journalism and get professional insight early on.
“I’m looking forward to meeting other students my age who are interested in the same career path as me,” she said. “I hope to be able to talk to these students about their plans for the future and what they are looking at college-wise.”
Miller said she applied for the trip back in early winter, which consisted of an essay and some information about extracurriculars and education. She heard about being selected in December and has been preparing for the trip since.
Miller will join a select group of students from across the country July 14-19 in an extensive study of journalism and media. She was chosen based on her academic accomplishments and demonstrated interest and excellence in journalism and media studies, according to George Mason University.
Well-known leaders in journalism, major media outlets, research, and recent college graduates will give presentations to these students throughout the event to best prepare the next generation of journalists. Former speakers include Hoda Kotb from NBC, Brian Lamb from C-SPAN, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Carol Guzy, and National Geographic’s Susan Goldberg.
The WJMC offers a forward-thinking perspective on journalism and direct access to D.C. practitioners for a truly unique experience for the lucky few chosen to attend the conference. Students chosen to attend also have the chance of applying for scholarships anywhere from $1,000-$2,000.
“I definitely have not done anything like this before,” said Miller. “This experience will hopefully point me in the right direction when looking at school and career paths in the next few months.”
Since COVID shut down regular life during Miller’s early high school years, she said she’s grown to appreciate the role of journalists keeping people like herself updated on what’s going on around her. She’s specifically interested in television reporters, who “have a way of keeping viewers interested in their conversation.”
“It is going to be a new location, new people and new information,” she said. “Lots of new experiences that I am very excited for. I hope this helps me grow as a person and makes it easier to talk with new people.”
Just 300 National Youth Correspondents are selected each session to represent their schools and states, and the WJMC recruits from all over the world.
Contact Ethan Charles at 937-502-4532.
