On Wednesday, April 6, junior yearbook staffer Ashley Bache, traveled to Los Angeles with 19 other students for the National High School Journalism Convention.

The National High School Journalism Convention is a place for students in media to listen to and gather information from some of the most qualified and experienced journalists from all over the country. 

“I haven’t decided on what I want to do after high school yet, so being exposed to the options that I have available was extremely helpful, even if I don’t decide to go into journalism,” said Bache. 

At the actual convention, many sessions surrounded the topic of team building and unifying your staff, which could be especially helpful as many programs are still recovering and adjusting to the recent pandemic. 

“The most valuable thing I learned at the convention was that working as a team is the only way to get the work done. Based on the team building sessions that I went to, healthy collaboration is the key to success,” said Bache.

When it comes to the rest of Los Angeles, the media program shared many experiences. They went to Universal Studios, Hollywood, Santa Monica Pier and had many other adventures that they embarked on with their groups.

“Going to Hollywood was the best part of this trip because I love the city, so I enjoyed seeing the local shops and dining. I’ve also never been to California before so this was an amazing first experience, especially because I was also with a great group of friends,” said Bache.

When attending these conventions, the overall goal is to see what knowledge students can obtain and how they will apply it to their media program next year. 

“I was on the yearbook staff this year, but next year I am planning on joining the newspaper staff. During the convention, I tried to look for tools that could help me next year. So I think the biggest thing that I plan on applying for next year would be team-building skills that I acquired,” said Bache. 

Even though most students had a fun and educational experience in Los Angeles, there is always something that can be improved. 

“The only thing that I can think of being different would be having a little more time to shop, but overall, it was an amazing experience and opportunity that I am very very grateful for,” said Bache.