Students attend 2023 National Association of Black Journalists Convention and Career Fair
For School of Journalism and Media doctoral student Byron Keys attending a National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention and Career Fair has been on his to-do list for a few years.
Keys said he first learned about this opportunity as a master’s student at Arkansas State University where he was a member of their local NABJ chapter. He recalls his excitement at the possibility of meeting and learning from other Black journalists and media professionals at the convention.
Alas, circumstances led to the trip never happening. So, when the chance to attend again presented itself once more as a representative of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Keys leapt at the opportunity.
He was not disappointed.
“I loved the experience,” Keys said. “I would definitely recommend students to go.”
School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor Michael Martinez said this was the first year the school sent students to the annual convention and career fair. Students traveled to Birmingham, Alabama in August for the multi-day event featuring journalists and media professionals from across the country.
“Sending students to NABJ exposes them to networking opportunities that can last their entire career, and access to recruiters for internships, job opportunities and potentially mentors,” Martinez said. “Specifically, to NABJ it helps to see “people like me” in the business and helps employers find candidates to improve diversity in their newsrooms.”
Keys said one of the highlights of the trip was getting to meet Dave Dennis, a civil rights leader known for his impassioned eulogy at James Chaney’s funeral in Mississippi that was partly recreated in the film Mississippi Burning. Originally from Mississippi, Keys said meeting Dennis was surreal.
In addition to being a doctoral student, Keys is also an academic advisor for the College of Communication and Information (CCI). Putting his advisor hat on, Keys said the convention provided invaluable information, tips and opportunity leads he hopes to use as he advises students.
He added it was also encouraging to hear others share similar advice he gives students based on his own experiences in newsrooms before returning to academia to complete his doctorate.
Keys also found the trip to be a great networking opportunity, adding he was able to make contacts with individuals doing similar research. Keys’ research focuses on social media culture, social media trolling, and meme uses.
Accompanying Keys to the convention and career fair was School of Journalism and Media senior Amari Mills. She viewed it as a great networking opportunity before she graduates next spring.
Mills is interested in digital and social journalism and the convention offered her an opportunity to meet industry professionals advancing that field such as CBS Sports’ Director of Social Media Liz Edwards. As part of the CBS Sports professionals panel “The Cultural Revolution of Digital and Social Sports Content,” Mills learned about how CBS Sports transfers content from traditional media onto social media platforms to increase and retain engagement.
Mills said another highlight of the conference was participating in the NBCU Academy’s workshop called “Digital Forensics: The Art of Social Newsgathering.” As part of this workshop, Mills said students were able to use their devices to verify the validity of video content posted across social media.
“It was super informative and it helped reaffirm my belief that tech is a growing portion in journalism,” Mills said.
Mills said she would recommend other students to attend the NABJ convention and career fair or events similar especially if they have an interest in traditional journalism.
“It’s a great opportunity to network with professionals and students,” Mills said. “The conference is also a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone because you don’t know who or what you will encounter that could be beneficial for your future.”
Mills is always seeking new experiences and opportunities to benefit her career goals. This past summer, she participated in the CCI Vols Remote Internship program which pairs five students with non-profit organizations to work in their communications department. Mills worked with Pockets Change as their social media and digital communications intern and was hired to continue working part-time this semester.
She has also been a member of Ablaze Magazine’s social media team since junior year.
“I’ve done a variety of things with the CCI since I was a freshman and I am excited to see how the CCI will grow with the natural push to digital/social media in communications,” Mills said.
Martinez said the NABJ chapter at UT is open to all journalism students and is recruiting new members. He said joining the chapter is a great way for students to network, have access to scholarship, internship and job opportunities, hear from Black journalists in the field.
Students interested in learning more about NABJ and other student organizations are invited to “Pizza on the Terrace” on the Patricia D. Williams Terrace in the CCI building from noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 22. Also, to learn more about the different student organizations within the School of Journalism and Media visit https://jem.utk.edu/student-experience/student-organizations.