This was the first video I created during the 2021-22 school year, starring two of my most personable subjects yet, Ben Polega and his service dog, Friday. Ben’s story reminded me of why I love journalism — it allows me to tell stories about people who do amazing things, people who have persevered through life’s challenges. My skills as a reporter were reinvigorated in this piece, but even more importantly, my skills as an in-person broadcast journalist. Since this was my first broadcast story in my newly appointed leadership role, I took the opportunity to train my co-online-editor-in-chief, Lucy Marco on the basics of creating a broadcast package. While I wanted to expand my own broadcast skills, it was more important to me to build a broadcast program within the Shield Online to better reach our school community with video storytelling. And that started with training my fellow staffers.
Recognitions: First place – broadcast feature story, NSPA Best of Show (2021); Superior – video feature story, TAJE Fall Fiesta (2022); First place – video story, ILPC (2022); Part of my First place – Broadcast Journalist of the Year portfolio, NSPA Individual Awards (2022)
