7:15 am. It’s the day of MIPA for all journalism and yearbook students at FHC.  It’s a day that we have all been looking forward to, at least to the journalism students, because we finally had the opportunity to go on a field trip that doesn’t require us to take measurements, write about our experiences, or analyze rocks. We get to go listen to mentors and learn about writing in a whole new way and also learn how to grow The Central Trend’s name. 

Everyone’s experience will be shared in a different way, but for me, I was excited to learn from college professors about their ideas that they have been teaching and learning about for years. Of course, Mr. George has taught me well and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him, but it’s nice to hear a new voice and expand my knowledge past Room 139 and the FHC community. Going into this day, my expectations were high and I was ready to be engrossed by these professors and other speakers. 

The first session that I decided to attend was entitled ‘Headlines That Pop & Get Clicked,’ and although the information was pure and the professor that lead it used vocabulary that us high school students could relate to, I only took away three things. First, use keywords in your headline so that they are easy to find when searched. Second, use a verb to grasp the reader’s attention. Third, the class was asked a question that was followed by wide eyes and numerous giggles: “Do you have a dirty mind?” That question is what stuck out to me the most because it was out of nowhere. But after further explanation, when people try to make their headlines pop, some use words that portray a different meaning in order to confuse people and make them want to read the story. A good lesson that was taught very well.

Between the first and second session, there was an interlude that was held for all participants where Pulitzer prize winners were given the stage to talk about their lives. It would have been very interesting, but the microphones were fuzzy and even sitting in one of the front rows, I couldn’t hear a single word of what they were saying. Although I wanted to pay attention, I wasn’t able to because I couldn’t hear I couldn’t focus. Going into the second session, I decided to learn about growing your newspaper through social media and I was excited because The Central Trend is growing and the social aspect needs opportunities to grow also.  

In the sessions, there was not enough chairs for everyone in the room and so many were forced to sit on the floor in the back, including myself. The presentation that the professor had made looked sporadic and although there was a couple threads of good information, a lot of my new ideas sparked from student input throughout the class. The conversations that the students kept allowed all of us taking the class to collaborate on new ideas on how to grow, and I found that very cool. Being able to hear about what other schools want to do and what other schools have done was where I learned the most.

After these two sessions, we traveled to the MSU campus and ate lunch with FHC’s other publication classes. My table, all put our phones down in order to bond with each other and of course crack jokes and be ourselves. We also talked about MIPA and how it didn’t meet our expectations, but it was worthwhile. By the end of the day, I realized MIPA was full of information, but more importantly, I explored a new day of knowledge with my friends.