Four University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) journalism students recently attended the nation’s leading conference for journalism education, career development, networking, and industry innovation for persons of color.
The members of the UVI Association of Black Journalists (UVIABJ) joined thousands of journalists, media executives, journalism educators, public relations professionals, and students from the United States and other countries in attending the 2022 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) joint Convention & Career Fair, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in an in-person format for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
UVIABJ President Nadege Barber, Vice-President Michael Bell, Treasurer Carlos Eton, and Undergraduate Advisor George Francis participated with fellow students as well as industry professionals in various activities, including workshops, lectures and presentations focused on the arts and entertainment, media relations, communications, health and science, investigative journalism, storytelling, economy and business, social justice and community, and leadership.
The convention and career fair, whose theme was “Changing the Game/Breaking Barriers”, included a welcome reception sponsored by Disney, and a Hall of Fame luncheon to recognize journalists of color who have made significant strides throughout their careers in the field of mass communication.
The UVIABJ team also attended the “Salute to Excellence Gala and Award Ceremony”, a special invitation-only event at which UVIABJ was nominated for recognition in the category of “Digital Media-Undergraduate: Online Feature Reporting” for its video presentation “BlocCom: Fact Check the Fact Checkers.” The UVI student production won first place in the Blockchain national competition hosted by Morgan State University, FinTech.
“The NABJ annual conference was a remarkable event, and our chapter was warmly welcomed,” said Barber. “It showcased the accomplishments of not only the professional chapters but also the NABJ team. I had the chance to learn about ways to support students in achieving their objectives. I’m appreciative that the sponsoring offices at UVI made it possible for us to take part in this important event,” he added.
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI Website-www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link