Today I woke up at 8:03 am. We had a late start, but it was only 15 minutes later. I’m not complaining, because if it wasn’t 15 minutes I’d be cooked fish. The breakfast was honestly decent — you can’t go wrong with tater tots and eggs. Yum. After eating, we did the news reporter… Continue reading Fishing interviews blub blub

Taking pictures of the Long Island Ducks was one of the moments where I truly felt like a real sports photographer. Standing in the stands with my camera, I wasn’t just taking pictures. I was trying to capture the moments that people in the stands would remember. One of my favorite moments was capturing the… Continue reading Behind the lens: My first game as a sports photographer

By Yasmin Bardales Today the Greene team tackled broadcasting and all the roles that go into making a successful news broadcast. We were each given the opportunity to try our hand at anchoring, directing, filming, and learning how to use the control room equipment. It was an amazing experience because we learned about what tasks… Continue reading Broadcasting in a nutshell

At Stony Brook, we visited the news room and control center to practice speaking behind the camera and the effort behind the camera to produce a proper news broadcast. I was the first person to go up as a weather reporter. Veteran producer Dini Diskin-Zimmerman kept reassuring me and telling me how I was gonna… Continue reading On camera!

Day 4 started with a slightly late start, as the previous night was the very late Ducks game. We started with the usual pep talks and lectures but soon enough we moved to a separate studio and started our own news recording. I started on the buttons that control what goes live and got the… Continue reading Day 4-going live

Today I got to experience being both an anchor and a reporter, and it immediately made me want to do more. For the first time, I got a taste of the hands-on work I’ve been eager to do, and that is a crucial part of my dream career. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to… Continue reading Hands-on experience

Today started a bit later than normal due to the late night last night. I got up around 7:30 and met everybody downstairs at 8:15. From here we headed to breakfast and then to the newsroom for a start to our on air reporting. Today we all got to take turns being on air either… Continue reading Day Four

On the second to last full day of the Greene Institute, I did a mock TV news anchor segment (that I forgot to take pictures for) with Angie, one of my group-mates. We (the Greene Team) went 2 by 2 with anchoring duties and were able to see how live TV news works behind the… Continue reading Day 4: Live from Stony Brook!

Today was filled with writing emails, researching, and things that make me hungry and sleepy. It feels like I’m back in AP Seminar, researching the most random things and then trying to make them sound like they sense. I think journalism is something I’d pursue as a career; I don’t like being on camera, though.… Continue reading A whole lot of work

Today started with a later start then I would have liked. I had planned to be up at 6. But, due to the bed and the environment, I couldn’t fall asleep well enough to stay asleep. Today consisted of lectures filled with useful information, but it was mostly uneventful. Going out and taking photos and… Continue reading Day 2: Lecture day

I was actually on time to breakfast this morning. The food was delicious!!! They were playing upbeat music in the cafeteria, and I slept like a baby last night – all signs this eventful day is gonna be great! My group, Asher, Myles, and I, visited Stony Brook University Hospital to interview the pediatric nurses… Continue reading A journalist’s perfect day

Day 3 started at around 7 am where I struggled to get up due to how tired I was from Day 1. After finally getting out of bed around 7:30 I quickly showered, dressed myself, packed my bag, and then met everybody downstairs. After a quick breakfast of yogurt and potatoes we headed over to… Continue reading Day Three

Day 3 started with another inspiring pep talk from a seasoned journalist, News12 Reporter and Press Club of Long Island President Cecelia Dowd. We wasted no time in going right into group work. We were given our assignments by our mentor and started research. We headed off to Newsday’s building in Melville and got a… Continue reading Day 3: A pep talk, a tour and the Ducks

Today was Day 3 of the Greene Team, another productive and exciting day. Early morning, we heard from past Greene Team members and listened to their experiences in the workplace. Along with this, my group and I planned and organized our essay. We had Zoom meetings and brainstormed any questions we had for our subject… Continue reading Headlines to homeruns

This morning my team got two assignments for the program – a profile for Neil Kohler about Tiny Vinyls, and a news package for the Ducks game. When we arrived to the newsroom we had a motivational pep talk over Zoom from WCSC-TV Multimedia Journalist Maya Brown. Next, our group met with our mentor and… Continue reading Day 3: A Ducks game and more

Today marked the official half-way point of our time at the Robert W. Greene institute — and by far the most eventful day for us. We only ate food on campus for breakfast and lunch for today. I got myself some French toast and scrambled eggs alongside some orange juice for breakfast. Lunch consisted of… Continue reading It starts with geese and ends with Ducks

On the third day of my week in Stony Brook, we were given the opportunity to go out into the field and explore journalistic endeavors. In the morning, my teammates and I interviewed Karen Levitov, the director and curator of the Paul W. Zuccaire Art Gallery on Stony Brook University’s campus. The current exhibition held… Continue reading A look into the life of a journalist

The past two days, days 3 and 4 at this program, have been filled with significantly more work than the first two. Teams are officially working on their stories, contacting researchers and interview subjects as well as conducting research on the topics themselves. That includes our Greene Team as a whole going on trips to… Continue reading More press conferences and new experiences

Today at the end of his speech on local news, guest speaker George Giokas presented a question: “Why journalism?” And for me that is an easy question. I chose journalism because I believe everyone deserves to be heard. Long before I became a student journalist and joined the newspaper club at my high school, I… Continue reading Why Journalism?

Photo by Jonnae Greene It’s the second day at the Robert W. Greene Institute, and today was full of new opportunities, and learning lessons. From the pep talks and early morning brainstorming, it was all worth taking in. Getting assigned my team with Parker and Jonnae was thrilling as I knew we would be able… Continue reading A day full of cameras and broadcasting!

At every meal my friends and I have had so far, there is always food left on our plates. Even when we aren’t that hungry, somehow we end up with at least one overflowing plate of food and a salad. This poses the question: Is having lots of options for meals a good thing? For… Continue reading My food dilemma

My first day at the Stony Brook Greene journalism program was odd. When I first entered my room, I was taken by surprise to feel a great sense of relief and comfort. I came expecting to feel extremely homesick and overwhelmed. But as soon as my father left, I felt free and excited. I quickly… Continue reading First day at Stony Brook, away from my life in Hempstead

Today marks my first day at the Greene Institute journalism camp! The first thing I noticed when I arrived was an overwhelming feeling of independence. Being in a new environment and having the opportunity to learn and work on my own made the experience feel different, but in a good way. On our first day,… Continue reading A new chapter in my journalism journey

During my first day at the Robert W. Greene Institute for High School Journalists, I was able to experience my first day of living in Stony Brook’s Hendrix Hall. I saw familiar faces, and met new ones. I was also granted the opportunity to learn history about blogging and how to start doing so on… Continue reading First day, new beginnings

To say that I was nervous to attend The Robert W. Greene Summer Insititute would be an understatement. I remember just a few hours ago, in my mom’s Honda car, heading to Stony Brook; I felt like my heart was going to beat its way out of my chest. I had barely thought about it… Continue reading My surprisingly good first day at Greene

On July 26, 2026, I moved into to Stonybrook for the Robert W. Greene journalism program. The drive was smooth and calming, as I looked out the window admiring the leaves falling off the tree, the cars that drove by, and the music playing in my ears. I arrived to my room and settled in… Continue reading Move-in day

Today was my second day at the Greene Gazette journalism camp, and it was definitely one of my favorite days so far. We got the chance to use the Canon R7, which is my dream camera and the one I’m currently saving up for to use on projects throughout the upcoming school year. We spent… Continue reading A step closer to my dream camera

My second day at this institute was a lot more thrilling than my first, since the only hard part about my day was waking up at around 6:30 a.m., to go get breakfast at 8 a.m. Other than that, we stayed in the Stony Brook newsroom, where we had many guest speakers who were eager… Continue reading My easygoing second day of Greene Week

Today, our group sat in the newsroom for a few hours to listen to experienced journalists of many media genres talk to us about themselves and the basics of their own field. Dini Diskin-Zimmerman described her personal experiences with journalism and reporting in the late 20th to early 21st century, having been through the Watergate… Continue reading Work begins

The Greene Team received a pep talk from walking history! Dini Diskin-Zimmerman was one of the first women to work in the media. She was the most notable speaker, and discussed her life as a journalist over the past few decades, and how technology has developed. I even got to ask her about what it… Continue reading Capturing knowledge on day two

From broadcasting to podcasting, today was an exciting experience where I had to chance to learn and understand different perspectives. The day started early, we headed down to the cafeteria at 8:15, where I had waffles and fruit for breakfast. We headed to the newsroom, where we met with brodcaster Dini Diskin-Zimmerman, who told us… Continue reading Day Two: Broadcasting to podcasting

My second day in the program gave me a new outlook on the possibilities and perspectives within media and journalism. The pep talk and lede writing lesson in the morning, and our many guest speakers in the afternoon, such as George Giokas, J.D. Allen, Frank Posillico, and Rick Ricioppo, opened a world of new insights… Continue reading A world of new ideas!

My first day at the Greene Institute was very confusing, but definitely the most interesting event of this summer. Moving into a dorm that I’ve never seen before is anxiety-inducing and nerve-wracking, but it was really fun in a way. Finding the dorm was the hardest part. My aunt took at least 10 loops before… Continue reading The start of a week away from home

I woke up at five in the morning with the need to go back to bed, but instead, I decided to stay up for an hour and read what was happening in my community. I lied. I’d never do that, but today I realized how much journalism is the glue in a community. Newspapers aren’t… Continue reading A shift on perspectives

During my second day at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists, the coordinators of the program had a seemingly endless amount of activities planned for us to do. From learning the structure of an article and how to start a podcast to how to use a professional camera, this day was… Continue reading A hard day’s work

Please. Listen to me. I would be such a good stage manager. I did it today, and it was so awesome, and Marcy McGinnis herself told me I would do good. I know my high school stage manager program doesn’t exactly work like that but it’s FINE. I could do it, let me. I didn’t… Continue reading God please let me stage manage

Macaroni salad, mac ‘n cheese, and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette were the three non-dessert items I could eat at the buffet-style dinner tonight. Not to say they were bad at all, they were not. This is just how it tends to be as a vegetarian, not to mention how I’m a super picky eater.… Continue reading Two types of salad and two types of macaroni: Buffet-style food as a vegetarian

(Pictures by Briana Dworsak and Haru Dukanac) Today was an interesting first day at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute! New atmosphere, different people, and a week full of activities! The drive to Stony Brook University was easygoing, and meeting my roommate was even better. Getting settled in moved along quickly. The newsroom was a… Continue reading Move-in day extravaganza!

Monday, Day 2, was the first real day of the Greene Institute. After waking up and getting treated with some glorious breakfast, the rest of the Greene Team and I were shuffled to the newsroom again. There, we got introduced to and briefed on a whole bunch of different concepts: podcasting, how to write a… Continue reading Day 2: Seeing through the lens

Tuesday, July 28th — the third day of the Greene Institute. I can confidently say that this has been my favorite day so far. We started off the lesson with a special guest, Maya Brown. Maya Brown is a new journalist who dedicated 10 years of her life to get to her goals, sharing her… Continue reading Ending the third day with a Ducks game

Today, the Greene Team toured the Newsday headquarters in Melville. To be honest, I wouldn’t consider Newsday one of my main sources of news since I usually rely on outlets like CNN, The New York Times, AP News, and NPR. However, this visit made me realize how important local journalism really is. While national news… Continue reading The importance of local news

Throughout the morning of Tuesday, July 28, my group and I conducted our research and planned our interview questions for our article about the Keep Long Island Beautiful campaign. We met with our team leader, Emily Sauchelli, on a Google Meet and emailed each of the four people we plan to interview — and we… Continue reading Field trip!

Today was our third day at the Robert W. Greene Institute, and it was full of great experiences. I never thought I would be standing in the building of Newsday. It was a phenomenal opportunity being able to meet with people with such high expertise in their field. Something I learned today was that Newsday… Continue reading Tour of Newsday and interviewing at Ducks’ stadium

Today was move-in day at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute For High School Journalists and here was my experience. Once my family and I found the right building, I checked in and went to my dorm. At first I was nervous about sharing a room with someone I didn’t know, but luckily my roommate… Continue reading Greene Team move-in day

On Wednesday, July 29, the Greene Team had the chance to experience what it’s like to be live on television. I started out as the control room director. That role involved cuing the anchors and reporters, as well as letting the video controller know when to cut to a different camera. Although that was fun,… Continue reading Breaking: Greene Team on TV

Today, for the second of six days here at Stony Brook, we all participated in a full, long day mostly within the newsroom. We had presentations by about topics including ledes, podcasting, shooting video, and using a DSLR camera (which we got to mess around with hands-on outside) Food today was solid. I had some… Continue reading Day 2: Hands-on shooting and an Instagram ‘takeover’

Day two done! Today was a fun intro day where we went over some basics, learned about the importance of local news, and learned all about podcasting. I started my day at 7 when I woke up and quickly showered. I then moved downstairs at around 8 and convened with the rest of the group… Continue reading Day 2: Learning ledes, hanging out

Tuesday is Day 3 of being on the Greene Team, and the first day of actual work. Today we had the amazing task of visiting the Zuccaire art gallery on the Stony Brook campus and interviewing the gallery’s main director, Karen Levitov. We arrived in the newsroom at around 9 after eating breakfast, but we… Continue reading Day 3: A different view on Black success

The Greene Team began on Monday, July 27, with a captivating lecture by a journalist who reported on the 1970s Watergate scandal and witnessed the field of journalism evolve.  Dini Diskin-Zimmerman, a broadcast journalist who has been in the field for decades, spoke to the group about her wealth of experience in a changing —… Continue reading Journalism: Changes past and present

The start of the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists program was so fun! As soon as I arrived, I was given a T-shirt, my badge, and a welcome bag. After checking in, I went to the lounge area where I was able to speak to my fellow student journalists. We also… Continue reading The beginning of an exciting journey

Today, I arrived pretty damn late to the scene. We did see some deer when entering, though, which was nice. My mom and dad accompanied me while unpacking my room. They snapped a few photos of me in the dorm room for memories, and hugged me goodbye. I was initially very nervous. I had to… Continue reading First day at Greene: Education and ice cream

Today, July 26, 2026, was the first of my six days at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalist. Even though I hadn’t packed until the very last minute, I managed to get all my clothing, electronics, snacks, water, bedding, hygiene and bathroom products, and camera set up in my duffel bag… Continue reading The first-day experience: A small start to a big week

Many people get homesick when being away for a period of time. However, I’m not that type of person. Moving-in day at Stony Brook University was exciting for me, as I love experiencing new things. As a student journalist and the editor-in-chief of my school newspaper, I was intrigued when my paper’s advisor sent me… Continue reading The start of an exciting week

So… I packed up a whole ton of stuff and hauled it almost 50 miles east to Stony Brook University to attend the Greene Institute. Almost immediately after setting up shop in my dorm room and saying goodbye to my mom and siblings, I was shuffled down to a meeting where we all did some… Continue reading 2026 Greene Institute: El primero día

Today in the afternoon, I arrived at Stony Brook University. Check-in at Hendrix Hall was smooth and orientation was short and sweet. I started talking to other people on the walk to the newsroom, including people who I recognized from the orientation in June. By the time we were in the newsroom, everyone was talking… Continue reading Day 1 at the Greene program

Sunday, July 26, was the first day of the 2026 Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalism program. It was also the first time I’ve visited Stony Brook University’s campus, despite living only 15 minutes away.  My first impression was certainly a positive one. Right next to Hendrix Hall, where the dorms are… Continue reading Stepping onto the Stony Brook campus

The first day here at the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists was full of information and fun! I started off the day at around 2:30 p.m. by checking into my room in the A dorm. I was lucky enough to get the only single in my suite, so that was a… Continue reading The first day: Full of information and fun

Our first day started with a quick unpacking followed by a longer-than-expected wait. The team took no time to get right into learning. The opening presentations were informative and we learned how to log into the website we’d be using for the next week. The walks back and forth from the buildings were relaxing, and… Continue reading The first day: Unpacking, waiting, walking, and learning