We were thrilled to bring you two days of illuminating and inclusive programming, featuring journalists and media professionals from newsrooms across the globe. The sessions covered everything from practical training on social media safety and fine-tuning your resume, to broader discussions on navigating outness in the workplace.
Here’s what we have in store:
Friday, February 25 |
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Welcome & IntroductionStart your conference experience off on the right foot with this introduction to NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, our second annual Student Conference and the Pathable platform.
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12:00 pm – 12:30 pm ET | |
One-on-One Resume, Reel and Portfolio Critiques with Katie Barnes, Karen Hawkins and Femi RedwoodSit down with an recruiter or veteran journalist to evaluate your resume and portfolio materials and learn how to improve them. Slots for this session are limited and pre-reserved. If you have been selected for a slot, we will be in touch with the time and your assigned reviewer. Please contact info@nlgja.org with any questions.
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12:30 pm – 1:30 pm ET | |
Lightning Round SessionsLearn a series of essential skills during these twenty minute sessions, full of practical advice and tips!
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1:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET | |
Putting Your Identity on Paper with Mathew Gonzales (California State University, Long Beach, Career Counselor)Scholarships can help ease the sticker shock of college, but sometimes the application process can be tricky and emotionally taxing. How can we write personal statements that tell our stories without tokenizing ourselves and our identities? This session will walk students through the process of writing a personal statement or essay that will express your full self, highlight your strengths, and compel reviewers, while still respecting your personal boundaries.
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1:10 pm – 1:30 pm ET | |
Ask the Recruiter – Networking Tips! with Lauren O’Byrne (WarnerMedia, University Relations Manager)Networking can be intimidating – but it doesn’t have to be! Learn how to make the most of networking opportunities in this speed session.
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1:40 pm – 2:00 pm ET | |
Scouting Out Scholarships with Kay Colley (Texas Wesleyan University, Professor of Mass Communication)Get help navigating the scholarship application process from an industry pro! We’ll walk you through finding scholarships, writing personal statements, and more.
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2:10 pm – 2:30 pm ET | |
Is J School Right for You? with Maximo Patiño (CUNY Craig Newmark School of Journalism, Director of Admissions)In this session covering J-School, students will learn what to expect when pursuing a higher degree in journalism. We’ll demystify the application process, review alternative career and education paths, and discuss whether attending J-School may be the right choice for you.
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2:40 pm – 3:00 pm ET | |
Internship & Job FairSearching for the next step in your career? Looking for a Summer or Fall internship? Introduce yourself to recruiters from top newsrooms, universities and journalism organizations and learn about their available internships and career opportunities. Exhibitors include USA Today Network, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.
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3:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET | |
Sitting Down with Sam Sanders – a Keynote ConversationNPR fan favorite Sam Sanders will sit down with one of our student members for a conversation about his experiences in journalism, his journey to the mic and speaking up about representation in newsrooms. Sanders will also answer questions from the audience, and you can submit your question here.
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5:00 pm – 6:00 pm ET | |
Open Networking RoomsBuild your community and connect with fellow students and early-career journalists in a series of networking breakout rooms.
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6:00 pm – 7:00 pm ET | |
Saturday, February 26 |
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Afternoon MeetupKick off the day in one of our networking rooms!
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Noon – 1:00 pm ET | |
Social Media Self-Defense with Viktorya Vilk (PEN America, Program Director for Digital Safety and Free Expression) and Leigh Honeywell (Tall Poppy, CEO and Cofounder)LGBTQ+ journalists, creators and activists are facing unprecedented amounts of harassment online. This session will equip you with practical self-defense tools and strategies to help you fight back and continue exercising your free expression rights.
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1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET | |
Finding Your Way as a Freelancer with Neha Wadekar (Independent Multimedia Journalist), Boyoung Lim (Pulitzer Center, Senior Editor) and Anita Pouchard Serra (Photojournalist and Visual Storyteller)Building a career as a freelancer can be intimidating. How do I set rates? How should I pitch editors? Where do I find grants? Join three Pulitzer Center grantees as they untangle these questions and more.
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2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET | |
Navigating Outness & Identity in the Newsroom with Katie Barnes (ESPN, Journalist) and Derrick Clifton (Freelance Writer and Journalist)We hear recruiters say, “bring your whole self,” to work, but that can be easier said than done. As queer journalists, how can we stay true to ourselves in a newsroom that might be hostile to us? In this session, attendees will hear from established journalists about how they approach their work with authenticity and integrity.
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3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET | |
Inside an Investigative Story: A Q&A Keynote with Imara JonesClose out the conference with a Q&A session featuring award-winning journalist and media platform founder Imara Jones. She’ll discuss the process of building her limited podcast series “Inside the Anti-Trans Hate Machine.” Submit your own questions for Imara here!
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4:00 pm – 4:30 pm ET | |
Open Networking RoomsConnect with your peers and close out the conference with some new friends!
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4:30 pm – 5:30 pm ET |
The schedule is subject to change. All times are Eastern Time.
Our Speakers |
Katie Barnes, ESPN, Digital Features Writer | they/them/theirs
Katie holds a B.A. in History, Russian Studies, and American Studies from St. Olaf College, and an M.S. in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Miami University (OH). They were the 2017 NLGJA Journalist of the year.
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Derrick Clifton, Freelance Writer | they/them/theirs
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Kay Colley, Texas Wesleyan University, Professor of Mass Communication | she/her/hers
Prior to joining Texas Wesleyan University in 2008, Colley taught at institutions throughout Texas and advised student media for more than 20 years. She also spent four years in public relations and five years in newspapers, winning national awards for her writing and public relations campaigns.
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Matthew Gonzales, California State University, Long Beach, Career Counselor | he/him/his
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Karen Hawkins, Chicago Reader, Co-Publisher and Co-Editor in Chief | she/her/hers
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Leigh Honeywell, Tall Poppy, Co-founder and CEO | she/her/hers
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Imara Jones, TransLash Media, Co-founder, Creator & Host | she/her/hers
Imara has held economic policy posts in the Clinton White House and communications positions at Viacom. Imara holds degrees from the London School of Economics and Columbia. Imara is a 2021 Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow and a 2019 Soros Equality Fellow. She was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to serve on the New York City Commission on Gender Equity. She also serves on the boards of the Transgender Law Center, Anti-violence Project, GLSEN, the LGBTQ+ Museum, and the New Pride Agenda. Imara is also part of the Move to End Violence.
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Boyoung Lim, Pulitzer Center, Senior Editor | she/her/hers
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Lauren O’Byrne, Warner Media, University Relations Manager | she/her/hers
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Health Science from Kennesaw State University and is proof that you don’t have to stick to the career path that your degree dictates. She loves helping shape student’s futures and showing them a career that they may have never thought of in the past. Lauren believes WarnerMedia is the best place to work (slightly biased) and is passionate about recruiting the next generation of talent to THINK BIG and drive the evolution of the entertainment industry!
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Maximo Patiño, Craig Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY, Director of Admissions | he/him/his
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Anita Pouchard Serra, Photojournalist and Visual Storyteller | she/her/hers
She is a National Geographic Emergency Fund Recipient and a Pulitzer Center grantee (2020), a We, Women grantee by Photoville and Women Photograph (2019-2020), a Moving Walls fellow by Open Society Foundations (2018-2020), and an International Women’s Media Foundation grantee and fellow (2017, 2018, 2020). She has been nominated twice to the 6×6 Global Talent Program by World Press Photo. She has worked for The New York Times, TIME, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Le Monde, Amnesty, and published in Days Japan, Wired, Geo magazine, among others. She exhibited her work in Argentina, France, Uruguay, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. She is a visual storytelling teacher and lecturer in Argentina and with Strudelmedia Live and the Pulitzer Center. She also has given community engagement workshops since 2014.
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Femi Redwood, CBS News and 1010 WINS Radio, Correspondent | she/her/hers
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Sam Sanders, NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders” Host | he/him/his
Previously, as a key member of NPR’s election unit, Sam covered the intersection of culture, pop culture, and politics in the 2016 election, and embedded with the Bernie Sanders campaign for several months. He was also one of the original co-hosts of NPR’s Politics Podcast, which launched in 2015. Sanders joined NPR in 2009 as a Kroc Fellow, and since then has worn many hats within the organization, including field producer and breaking news reporter. He’s spent time at three Member stations as well: WUNC in North Carolina, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and WBUR in Boston, as an intern for On Point. Sanders graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2009 with a master’s degree in public policy, with a focus on media and politics. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, with a double major in political science and music.
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Viktorya Vilk, PEN America, Program Director for Digital Safety and Free Expression | she/her/hers
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Neha Wadekar, Independent Multimedia Journalist | she/her/hers
She has received fellowships from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, the United Nations Foundation, the Fuller Project, the Overseas Press Club, the International Women’s Media Foundation, and the Groundtruth Project.
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