NSA's Journalism Class: From Student to Front Page
By Avery P.
Journalism by pedrosala from Getty Images Created in Canva
In a classroom setting there are rarely classes that fit the interests of students, whether it be banking, nursing, or any career one could think of. However, NSA provides career courses to get students ready for college and later on in life. An example of one of these courses is Journalism, which focuses on investigating the truth. In this class, the lessons dive into real world experience, improving one's writing, creating portfolios, and overall how to become a successful journalist. In addition, it prepares students for the rigorous work it takes to work in a journalistic environment. Nevertheless, this journalism class has very positive takeaways and will certainly prepare aspiring journalists and writers for the future.
One of the biggest focuses of the class is real-world preparation. There are three main things that I took from being in this class: how to become a journalist, what to expect in this career, and ways to improve your writing. Becoming a journalist is not a hard feat in and of itself. You really only need some type of degree in English or communications. However, you do need to be a good writer and have a fundamental understanding of journalistic writing style, which is different from academic writing. This class teaches you different techniques in press writing and newspaper types. Following this, the class allows time to focus on journalistic writing styles. Academic writing is typically very complex and formal, and a person is typically writing on one subject with a lot of research. Journalists are trying to tell a story and use active words. In conclusion, this course will help people to advance in journalistic writing and prepare them for the world of journalism.
I took this class in the fall of 2024 and absolutely loved it. It gave me such a clear insight into the world of journalism! There were positive takeaways from this class. First off, I learned how and where to make a writing portfolio, which is used to store writing and pieces you have done so you can show your future employer. In addition, I got to create three different types of articles and create my own newspaper; or you could have recorded a news broadcast. It was very interesting to learn about newspapers and news broadcasting. Also, one can learn about a multitude of sects within the job, such as politics and sports journalism, or any type of news broadcasting. Overall, this course gave an incredible insight into the inner workings of a newsroom.
In conclusion, I think this class is a great class for the aspiring podcaster, influencer, journalist, or even freelance writer. Or if you are just interested in improving your writing, this class is for you. One does not have to be a talented writer to take this class. Finally, if you are on the fence on whether or not to pursue a career in journalism, I would highly suggest incorporating this class into your schedule!
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Avery P. lives in Tennessee with her parents and three siblings. She has been a student at NorthStar for three years. This is her second year writing for the Navigator. After high school, Avery plans to attend college and earn a degree in education.