by Caitlyn Minton
Sixteen high school journalists were put to the test during the 2014 Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism.
“Journalists don’t get a lot of sleep,” said sophomore Camila Gonzalez of Harding Charter Preparatory High School in Oklahoma City.
The University of Oklahoma hosted the OIDJ workshop for the 11th consecutive year. This year’s eight-day workshop was overseen by Melanie Wilderman, director of Oklahoma Scholastic Media at OU.
“I believe in OIDJ. We are cultivating the next generation of journalists,” Wilderman said.
All the students attend high school in Oklahoma. But they represented different ethnic groups, races and cultures, including African American, Caucasian, Creole, Czech, German, Hispanic, Hungarian, Native American and Puerto Rican.
They wrote stories and shot photos and video for the OIDJ online news site, oidj.org. They also attended classes to learn about journalism, including reporting, writing, photography, videography, blogging, story-planning, sourcing and social media.
“Journalism is a way to get your voice out,” said Richelle Hallows of Norman High Student. “What matters is that you share what’s important to you.”
Micah Roberts of Lawton MacArthur High School practiced making info-graphics with Adobe Illustrator.
Maria Chaves said she learned to believe in herself.
“You have to believe in yourself and your own voice. We all have stories to tell and our perspective matters, too,” said Chaves, a senior at Deer Creek High School.
The workshop was from June 15 to 22.
“The first few days might have felt overwhelming, but by Wednesday, it looked like a professional newsroom,” Wilderman said.
Students visited the Masjid An-Nur mosque. They observed the Islamic customs and worship.
Students enjoyed the camp despite late nights, early mornings and short deadlines.
“I would definitely come back to the OIDJ workshop. I feel that OIDJ has truly expanded my horizons,” said Ronnie Rhodes of Lawton High School.
