Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Rome High junior Sarah Carroll to attend Asian American Journalists Association J-Camp

By Preston Smith/Managing Editor, RomeHarbinger.com

Rome High junior Sarah Carroll has been selected to attend the annual Asian American Journalists Association's J-Camp from June 19-24. The journalism camp will be sponsored and held at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The program, which began in 2001, is operated by the AAJA and develops the next generation of journalists.

"I'm really excited about this opportunity to meet top journalists and be around people who share common interests. I'm interested in pursuing journalism as a major and possibly as a career," said Carroll.

The curriculum taught by the counselors is intended both to encourage the journalist's unique heritage and to hone one's individual skill set. The young journalists will attend lectures by famous reporters and even field trips to put their reporting skills to the test. The AAJA's mission is to encourage young Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to enter the ranks of journalism and to increase the number of AA/PI journalists in the industry.

"I'm honored to be selected to such a prestigious camp about my favorite subject. I'm proud of my Asian American heritage, and I am thankful that a program can incorporate it into journalistic success," said Carroll, a Japanese American.

Forty-two high school students across the United States were selected in a competitive application process. The applicants are selected based on academic achievement and journalistic goals. Carroll is the first student from Rome High, or the Rome Area, to be selected.

Top-end journalists in the industry are expected to attend, although exactly who is kept under wraps by the AAJA.

"I don't know who will be there, but I know they are the best of the best, and I can't wait to meet them," said Carroll.

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