Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) journalism student Sally Ji didn't expect to see her work published so soon.
But this became a reality for the third-year Bachelor of Journalism student and her classmates, who recently had their final assignments published by Black Press Media, B.C.'s largest publisher of community newspapers.
KPU journalism student Sally Ji
"It was really nerve-wracking at first, and I remember thinking, There's no way I'm ready for this,'" she says. "But once we started to get into it, and had some of the Black Press editors review our work, it really helped us get an idea of what they're expecting out in the real world."
Through this first-of-its-kind partnership, KPU students enrolled in JRNL 4270: Advanced Storytelling got hands-on journalism experience while receiving feedback on their drafts from experienced editors at Black Press Media.
"The enthusiasm, creativity and fresh ideas made it a pleasure to work with the students, while also giving them an opportunity to collaborate with journalists in the field and see their work published in publications throughout B.C.," says Lauren Collins, digital content editor for Black Press Media's Canadian division. "It's a powerful reminder of just how vital community journalism is while working with the future of the industry."
The class focused the stories on the topic of disaster preparedness, including the impact of climate change, a theme they thought would resonate with readers.
Ji, who focused her story on the effects of wildfire smoke on air quality in the Okanagan Valley, says this experience showed her the impact of journalism firsthand.
"In one of my interviews with a Kelowna resident, there was a moment at the end of the interview where she thanked me for reaching out to her and giving her a voice," she says. "Hearing that from a complete stranger really solidified that journalism is what I want to do."
Chad Skelton, a journalism instructor at KPU, approached Black Press Media with the idea.
"Our journalism students produce great work, but in many cases, nobody really sees it besides the instructor," says Skelton. "To actually have your work read by people in the community makes everything more interesting and impactful - it's real journalism as opposed to just a class assignment."
The stories are all available on the Black Press Media website and some may be published in print editions of newspapers across B.C.
