Registration open for High School Summer Workshop Program at Missouri School of Journalism
The deadline to register is May 26 for sessions in late June
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Feb. 21, 2023) — The Missouri School of Journalism’s High School Summer Workshop Program is now open for registration. Available to high school students nationwide, the week-long program on Mizzou’s campus offers aspiring journalists and strategic communicators the opportunity to get a hands-on glimpse of working and studying at the School’s professional news outlets and ad agencies.
The deadline for registration is May 26, 2023, and the workshops will take place June 25-30.
“The workshop is a great way to introduce students to the opportunities in journalism and strategic communication that we offer at the School of Journalism,” said Ron Kelley, executive director of student development, diversity and inclusion and director of the workshop program. “Through the workshop, we let students know how important, accessible and diverse those opportunities are.”
Once again, the program will feature a partnership with NBC Universal Academy — just one of the School’s collaborations with the journalism and content creation training program — to bring in speakers from NBC stations all over the country to talk about their work and offer advice earned through real professional experience. That combination of hands-on learning and exposure to working professionals creates a remarkable introduction to the School’s famed Missouri Method.
“The Missouri Method of learning by doing is the foundation of the finest school of journalism in the world, and it’s exciting to be able to extend the benefits of that method to high school students,” said David Kurpius, dean of the School of Journalism. “Taking part in these summer workshops reflects a real drive to learn and succeed, and at Mizzou, that drive is rewarded through experiences that can’t be found elsewhere.”
Participants live in a campus residence hall for the duration of the program and have the option of choosing from three different tracks depending on their interests:
The Missouri University Journalism Workshop focuses on learning to cover issues, news and current events in the fast-paced world of professional journalism.
The Missouri Advertising and Public Relations Workshop explores the world of strategic communication, laying out what it takes to put together creative, research-based advertising and public relations campaigns for a client.
The Missouri Investigative Journalism Workshop shows students how to find information, track down sources, conduct better interviews and analyze data like a professional investigative journalist.
The workshops often represent students’ first steps toward pursuing a degree at the School of Journalism. Sophomore Mikayla Higgins, a copywriter at the student-run Matchbook Marketing Agency, recalled how the program expanded her view of what was possible.
“The opportunity to hear from real-world journalism and strategic communication professionals and engage with them while still in high school was very eye-opening in deciding what I wanted to study in college,” Higgins said. “From the beginning, the professors leading the workshop were very welcoming and willing to help us learn new skills. The experience is why I attend Mizzou today.”
For junior Ethan Levy, who works with Mizzou Broadcast Operations, the program had an immediate impact.
“I remember coming home to my parents after a week in Columbia and telling them that I wanted to go to Mizzou — that I was ready for college life,” Levy said. “I knew I wanted to pursue journalism in college, and [the Missouri University Journalism Workshop] ultimately sold me on the School of Journalism and the Missouri Method.”
Reflecting the deep, persistent impact of the program, both Higgins and Levy have served as counselors during subsequent workshops.
“I remember the positive impact that my dorm counselors had on me during my time at the workshop, and I wanted to pay it forward so that another class could have a great experience as well,” Levy said.
For more information about the High School Summer Workshop Program or to register, please click here. Interested students can also reach out to Ron Kelley at kelleyr@missouri.edu.
Updated: February 21, 2023