FNN Takes Dallas

Story by Katherine Hunter. Photos by Kiani Bell, Ariana Lucas and Michael Williams. Journals by Kiani Bell, Jayland Fowlkes, Michael Williams, Tsion Cummings and Ariana Lucas.

DEC. 11, 2017: On a windy Thursday in Washington, DC, the FNN team from Friendship Collegiate Campus crosses the street to the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station. Everyone is bundled up in coats and toting luggage. We’re off to the JEA Journalism Conference being hosted in Dallas, Texas.  

This is my first trip as an intern, and my second time attending the JEA/ NSPA National High School Journalism Convention. My role this time would be different as I was a freshman in high school the last time I was a participant in JEA/NSPA (Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association. This time we are going to scout yearbook vendors for Collegiate’s  yearbook as well as attend workshops and find out about college opportunities.Taking this trip would be a bittersweet experience because so much has changed in these five years. To have the privilege of going as a young woman who has had to fight to get where she is brings a sigh of relief. I want to prove to myself that I deserve to be here on this trip.

This trip will entail challenges, first times, breakthroughs, and self-recognition. The ignition of a flame that was extinguished for too long resurfaces. The charisma of a photographer shines. The range of possibilities becomes endless.

While in Dallas, we will see beautiful sights like the Reunion Center, take a moment to pay homage to a popular TV show at a fountain, and experience the memorial of John F Kennedy just a block from where he was shot and killed. Our taste buds will indulge in Tex Mex while savoring every moment.

Taking this trip was a nostalgic experience because I remember when I was in students’ shoes just a few years ago. From being a shy freshman in FNN to an intern who is helping to construct the yearbook was a big eye-opener for me.  Now that you’ve become aware of what this trip was to me, experience what the students on the trip have to say by reading their journals posted below.                                                                                                                                                                                                  - Katherine Hunter