By, Emily Soriano
What is the word to describe my experience to this moment? I was mixed with my emotions of being fearful, homesick, and worried. All these feelings ventured through my mind during my first few moments at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists. This was the case until I started interacting with my fellow green peers.
I began to speak with my suite mates, Lisseth and Hennie. I was initially hesitant about being alone but with their comfort and reassurance, I now feel secure. As the day went on, we met with all the other Greene Team members at 11 a.m. in the dorm lounge. There, friendships were created. Although I may not know them on a personal level, I am looking forward to continuing to get to know them. I started to get settled in. Then we went on to meet the other Greene Team members in the main lobby.
As we were walking towards the news room, rain struck us. Although we were soaked, it was filled with many smiles and laughter as we ran towards the building. We created a memory that we will cherish. It may not be ideal to some but, to us on the Greene Team, it was a beginning to a story to be told.
Once we entered the newsroom we learned about “The inverted pyramid.” It’s the ideal in writing journalism where the first paragraph is your lead and all the important information you want people to read while the next paragraphs are adding on more facts. I believe it is very interesting on how journalists go about the fact knowing that due to some of the readers’ attention spans they may not want to read an entire story. They just want the main idea.
The day continued to be filled with more knowledge to be learned but by the time we knew it, It was time for lunch at 12 p.m. As we walked through the campus we saw the beauty of nature and the environment. At lunch I ate pinto beans, grilled cheese, sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, water, as well as a salad. There I created a bond with Hennie and Shirley. We sat together and had great conversations.
After lunch we went back to the newsroom. We continued learning. Another thing that stood out to me was the tips for shooting video. I was unaware of the ideal of having a two finger space above the person’s head and right next to the sternum (rib cage) on the bottom half. I also learned about the 7 angles in shooting. Wide, Medium, Tight, Super Tight, Action, Reaction, and Capture the Moment. This peaked my interest as I never have heard about it before that moment that it was introduced.
As the lesson continued, we were taught how to spot out propaganda. A video was shown about a guy skydiving, but the guy is never seen falling to the ground. We were asked the question, “Would we share this video to our friends yes or no?” The video was created to be an advertisement for a trampoline park and to appease the public eye. We learned to ask ourselves these questions. “Who is making this video?” “Are they identifying themselves?” and “Is this accurate?” These questions allow a deeper thought process while watching. The lesson was filled with thought-provoking ideals.
Once the lesson was over we walked over to the dining hall for dinner around 5 p.m. At dinner I enriched myself with some tomato penne pasta and French Fries. As a beverage I had water. For dessert, we had a cheesecake, which was very delightful. After dinner, we walked back to the dorms where we finished unpacking and took turns showering.
In conclusion, the first day was an introduction of all the fun expected for the rest of the week. My Dorm Mates — Sorbs, Allison, Hennie, Gabrielle, and I then finished the day up by saying our goodnights.