Even though I come from the journalism field and am teaching what I know through experience, there are times when I don't know everything or wish for students to gain a different perspective. It's during those times when I bring in guest speakers.
This semester I was fortunate enough to bring in several experts in their fields to two of my classes. A few of the speakers showcased their work and talked about what they do for a living, while others were open to being interviewed in joint sessions for stories and press releases.
Wayne State University
For the digital photojournalism class at WSU, my students were fortunate enough to have in their presence award-winning photojournalist and educator Eric Seals, of the Detroit Free Press and a former student of this class, Irving Mejia-Hilario, of the Dallas Morning News.
I was excited to bring Irving back into the classroom (via Zoom because he lives and works in Dallas now) to share his transition from school to professionalism. Irving is a WSU journalism graduate and former pj student in this class, and has landed his first full time job at a major newspaper out west.
It's so thrilling to see students thrive after graduation, and there is no better way to highlight their successes than to bring them back to share their experiences and journey. It really inspires the current students who dream of landing that first job in journalism.
Irving got his foot in the door at the Dallas Morning News as a business intern ... and never left. He talked about how took the job despite not being business-world savvy; using his camera on the job; the steps he took to get that internship; and inspired the students to work hard and never give up.
Thank you, Irving!
