Guest speakers offer tips, advice, inspiration to UToledo students

Today was a good day for me to take a back seat and let others drive.

My guests appeared via Zoom, considering they were in Columbus and California, respectively, and the students were in person.

I invited Josh and Tom to take the reign in my classes because it's always a good thing for students to hear from professionals in the field. Guest speakers give them a different perspective of what's out there in the real world, and how we all end where we are by taking different routes throughout our lives. Both guests were engaged and inspiring, and I've included their presentations in this blog post.

First up was Columbus Dispatch photojournalist and Ohio News Photographer president Josh Bickel. If you pay attention to the news, you might recognize one of his most famous photos which went viral in April 2020. It's the one where protestors practically stormed the Statehouse Atrium in Columbus during a Gov. Mike DeWine covid briefing. 

He mentioned that photo, of course, but much of the conversation centered around ethics in photojournalism. I think it's important students are aware of the gray zone when making ethical choices, especially in this stormy, political environment. 

It's worth the hour: Watch here

Tom Brouns speaks to the UToledo Integrated Media class. 📷 = Lori King

Next up was Tom Brouns, a military retiree who just recently produced her first podcast, which aired on my Sword and Pen podcast show last month. The Sword and Pen is sponsored by Military Veterans in Journalism, and I was proud to dedicate a show to Tom's work. 

Tom is currently a grad student at Berkeley, and offers tips of what he's learning in journalism school. One thing I admire about Tom is that he's not afraid to made changes in his life, even at the ripened age of 55! 

To view his class presentation: Watch here. And I strongly encourage you to listen to his Sword and Pen podcast.