SPJ grant winners share experience of attending national conference

“What a wonderful experience it was to attend the Excellence in Journalism Conference in Anaheim, California.

I feel very fortunate having been chosen as a recipient of the CTSPJ Professional Travel Grant in September of 2017.

I return to Connecticut exhausted, but in a good way! With a bucket full of potential story ideas to do back here in the Nutmeg state.

It was an honor to learn from some of the best and brightest journalists from across Connecticut and the country.

Having 72-hours of intense informational packed sessions that helped reignite the fire in my belly and remind me why I love being a reporter, take the job seriously and know how important our industry is now more than ever.

Whether it was a three-hour intensive Google News Lab workshop to the “Art of Access” with Dr. Dave Cuillier from the University of Arizona, offering tips and tricks on how to better wrangle records from government agencies, I learned a whole new set of skills to add to my reporter tool box and share with my colleagues.

The relationships I made with journalists near and far will last a lifetime and I would highly recommend applying for the travel grant. Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity.”

– Jill Konopka, Reporter, NBC Connecticut

“EIJ 17 was everything I could have hoped for and more. I highly recommend attending this convention, especially for student members of SPJ. You are surrounded with the best of the best from all around the country.

The seminars bring so much diversity in reporting styles and experiences, you find yourself hanging onto every word, trying to soak in as much knowledge as you possibly can. You also get to bond with other journalist in a more relaxed environment outside of the newsroom.

Whether its grabbing a slice of pizza or putting on bowling shoes, EIJ gives you to opportunity to connect with each other on a one-on-one basis. I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to attending it again next year.” 

– Analisa Novak, student, CCSU