Hall School of Journalism and Communications holds J-Day

The Hall School of Journalism and Communications (HSJC) invited high school students from around southern Alabama to participate in J-Day. College students, professors and professional journalists alike shared their knowledge and experience. 

“It is a great recruitment tool here at Troy University,” said Stefanie East, a professor in the Hall School of Journalism and director of J-Day. “I cannot tell you how many students I’ve had in my classes that have said, ‘Dr. East, I came here because of J-Day, or ‘I want to be a J-Day ambassador because I was here when I was a high school student.’” 

Students attended workshops where they learned the ins and outs of being a journalist, techniques behind design and photography, interviewing and hands-on experience with the programs at Troy. Each workshop lasted around an hour to give students a full understanding of what they were learning.  

Students even participated in mock broadcasts in the TrojanVision studio. One student, Haley Hust, got to anchor at TrojanVision’s newsdesk. 

“I heard about [J-Day] from my school, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn more about the field I want to work in,” Hust said. “It’s been really exciting and a little nerve-racking, but it’s so great to try something new and continue learning.” 

Advisors and student staff from TrojanVision, the Tropolitan and the Palladium also spoke to students about pursuing student media. 

“They get to come here, they get to see the facilities that we have,” said East. "Our state-of-the-art broadcast system, the amazing yearbook staff that we have, our amazing newspaper with the Tropolitan and they get really excited about being ethical and telling fantastic stories to people.” 

Over 250 students from 8 different high schools learned from Troy’s journalism staff. Awards for broadcast, yearbook, and multimedia were also given to recipients. 

The Hall School of Journalism has held J-Day for over a decade and will continue in the coming years, connecting students through the power of telling stories.