By Joseph Ferencik
Contributing Writer
Since 1936, high school students from around Western New York have come to campus to be exposed to media professionals and to get a taste for the excitement a career in journalism can bring.
On Oct. 16, students from 10 schools came to St. Bonaventure for the 2015 Communications Day to present their projects to the judges, showing off their semester-long group work.
After a continentalbreakfast in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, the 200 students in attendance were split into two groups. Half presented their projects to judges. The other half attended workshops on photography, social media, broadcasting and writing, before flip-flopping with the first group. From 9 to 11 a.m. students were asked by the CommDay judges “How will you change the world?”
“Some focused on poverty, and how we can fight poverty. Others used photography to show students getting outside to be active and fight obesity,” said Joe Pinter, a graduate assistant in the Journalism Mass Communication school and CommDay judge.
Sharon Myers, director of admissions communications at Bonaventure, explained the options available to students for the project.
“Either in advertising, in video work, photography, and a website or news feature, they can choose whatever they want to do,” said Myers.
Myers also explained how each team has been working together since September for this event.
“What you see is a passion in the students for the work that they did. It’s amazing, the talent,” Myers said.
Pinter also said, “I think there was a lot of time and effort put in, especially for high school students who don’t necessarily have a particular advertising class where they could work on this,” Pinter said.
Mount St. Mary student, Elexcia Allen promoted self-care and a healthy lifestyle. She interviewed Victor Sho, a dancer on Broadway and performer at Dance Center New York, who is an exercise advocate.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t think about their health… a lot of people are damaging their bodies without thinking twice about it,” said Allen.
She said college students especially like to party in harmful ways. She then said that she learned from Sho the importance of recognizing that we only have one chance and one body to take care of.
Allen commented on coming to CommDay, “I was nervous coming into today, but I think this is a great opportunity.”
CommDay “Best in Show” recipients were given a prize of a $1,000 Bonaventure scholarship to each member of the winning team.
Myers said this was a great opportunity to bring high school students to St. Bonaventure to see the campus and have experience with the journalism school.
ferencje12@bonaventure.edu
