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[Reflections] Flash students compete in state journalism convention at Penn State University

The Editorial Board

April 5, 2024

[Reflections] Flash students compete in state journalism convention at Penn State University

Penn State Reflections

Laila Warrick '24

This trip isn’t one I’ll ever forget. The drive to State College was beautiful, the campus was grand & the ice cream was better than everything combined. Getting up at 5:00am to make it to school was less than ideal, but the experience was absolutely worth it. Winning was definitely a highlight, as well! Although considering my time during the actual competing portion, I was very shocked to have won. The first 30 minutes of the allotted time for writing, I was stumped. I scrapped an entire page of work and thought I had zero chance of even being considered. A burst of inspiration was the only reason I got it done. I quickly finished up my 1.5 pages and left the room. I was feeling down and had convinced myself that I bombed it.

By awards, I was content with the assumption that I didn’t win. I was even slumped down in my seat, ready to clap for whoever’s name was called. Hearing my name come from the announcer’s mouth jolted me up out of my seat and very soon after, I was holding an award in my hand.

Although by the end of it I was completely exhausted, it was so nice to see an entirely different side of Pennsylvania and grow closer to my staff members. Something that also made the drive special was that I had been very close to committing to Penn State University at the start of this year, but had changed my mind and decided to go somewhere else. The trip to PSU was a great chance to consider what could’ve been — who I could’ve been. The only word to describe the campus is grand. I thought it was gorgeous, but way too big at the same time. While leaving the creamery, I saw a school bus heading to the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district. To everyone else, this had no significance. To me, it was strangely symbolic. I was on the campus of the school I’d swore I’d attend just a few months ago; while a bus going to the town of the school I was going to sat in front of me. It was definitely a full circle moment. As a senior, the trip felt like the perfect close to this chapter of my life.

Michelangelo Infusino '24

I woke up around 3am to get ready for the competition. Thankfully I didn't need to bring much, so once I was dressed I just grabbed a bag of art supplies and was out the door. I would've made it to FLC sooner if it wasn't raining so much, as it delayed septa significantly, but I still met with the Flash at 6am as planned.

Once everyone arrived we all got into a school van and headed off to Penn State. The whole way up we played music and it was surprisingly fun.

Traveling took almost three hours and we arrived just before 10am. We got our name badges and some souvenirs (mainly a cup and notepads from what I remember), and we sat down for the scheduled speeches.

The competition had different prompts for each category, and my prompt was to draw a piece based on the interview that was among the speeches. I managed to get a high score on it, but didn't win my category which I expected. Luckily I originally competed just for the fun of it, so I wasn't very upset about it.

However, Laila won! I cheered the loudest for her and ended up starting a chain reaction of other groups cheering for their winners. I also yelled out that I was her biggest fan, which everyone seemed to find funny.

there were also some more really good speeches and we got to see a little bit of the campus

After the competition, but before they announced the winners, there were some more speeches. Though I don't remember the details of them, they were all very interesting and thoughtful.

Once the winners received their awards, we took some pictures and left the building. We looked around as we walked, but didn't have enough time to explore much of the campus. We got some ice cream (I got raspberry fudge flavor and it was amazing) and went back to the school van.

Overall it was an amazing experience and I really think future flash members should try competing as well.

Gabriella DiGiacomo '25

(Gabriella DiGiacomo)

Arriving at Penn State felt unreal. The area was so big and the architecture was beautiful. The campus life was vibrant, I could see the students making their way to class, studying, eating, and just having fun with their friends.

When we got inside, I received a small notepad and I took it as a sign to illustrate my day. There was an interview between 2 women on the stage in front of me. They were elevated to the crowd and had tons of young journalists crouching around the stage, each silently snapping pictures. I quickly sketched the scene and felt that I had captured a short and warm moment between them. Despite being surrounded by cameras, I felt that their interaction could best be captured by hand rather than by lens. I continued to doodle the small scenes around me for the remainder of the meeting before switching to a camera as a time-saver.

The drawings weren't beautiful. They weren't like the art pieces I spent hours etching onto media paper. They were silly and free doodles I scribbled onto lined notebook paper. They were not neat, but that's what makes me like them so much. They capture the moment in a way that a posed and time-consuming art piece couldn't do. Each drawing has movement and I think that's more powerful than neatness can portray.

Aside from the wonder of Penn State itself, the ride there felt magical. It wasn't anything special. 7 of us were cramped in a van with a box of donuts and rain outside. Despite this, we made amazing memories and saw views like no other. Fog coated the mountaintops and rainwaterrain water cascaded down the rocks like little waterfalls. The rain dripped and beaded on the window in a way that reminded me of curling up on the couch and listening to the raindrops patter across the rooftop. We sang music together and talked about anything and everything. We made a 3-hour3 hour ride feel like 10 minutes.

By the end of the day, I felt fulfilled. Normally, a long and eventful day leaves me drained and ready for bed. Instead, I felt energized and motivated. It was a good, and fairly new, feeling.

Quinton Washington '25

I think the one thing when it came to this trip was the highlight of freedom. Being able to actively have an outlet to express your stories, discovering your love of what makes you thrilled, and building skills that translate into careers. Journalism is one of the many free careers that we have and this convention highlighted that.

The day started off with all of us successfully making it into our small little shady van. Sure, everyone was slightly sleepy, the air was damp, and the rain was still pouring, but the energy was high, and everyone was excited to be there.

Stuffing my mouth with donuts and yapping to Gabrielle, the Appalachian mountains, occasional animals we rode past, and the amazing wonders of ear popping were the entertainment that made the three hour ride go by fast.

Although I didn't keep track of the other schools around me and their own activities, it was interesting to hear insight with people who were heavily involved in other people's lives, and documenting it.

Sarah Higgins told us a story of discovery and learning her path through journalism. The power of the skillsets you apply to journalism to be perceived as up to par, while also having the freedom to cover any story that may interest you. Creating her own career, designing, and expressing her creativity through illustrations and designs for her business. She makes sure to keep all her business to only her workspace, and only that.

Higgins talked with several other students, answering their questions centering around Penn State, her business, student athletes, personal experiences, events, and uniforms.

Her hardships, success, failures, and upcoming plans for her business shows how much work she put into being where she is now.

The questions that stuck out to me the most was the questions centered around her personal experiences

Her insistence on keeping a balance between her personal and work life, how much she had to sacrifice for her master degree, her insistence on keeping track of Penn State's news.

It all paints a picture of someone who cares thoroughly for her career, freedom, and overcoming.

Maya Williams surprisingly went up to ask Higgins a question surrounding personal branding. Higgins explains that it's all about how her business is all about becoming comfortable and trained with journalism.

The questions seemed to go by quick, and we were already out exploring. The newspapers of the other schools sparked inspiration of what I've imagined our own newspaper to look like one day.

The stands were all bright with LGBTQ flags and colors, giving out information, sex safety tips, and openness. Of course, we were more interested in the food and stickers And maybe some of the sex safety items on the table...😈

I noticed how large the entire campus was, from the amount of students filling every corner. It didn't matter if it was the library, steps, or art gallery, there was always a presence of someone. The environment was lively, students in their own world and intermixing with one another. It reminded me of our school for some reason, you aren't going to know everyone, and there's several other students you're going to interact and compete with. But that's what makes school and journalism so fun, learning about others and expanding your leverage.

Lunch rolled around, Laila, Angelo, and Maya had just finished competing and ready to eat. I went with Sophia and Gabriella to eat Burger King. Although it was my first time eating this fast food giant, and not being the biggest fan of anything besides my usuals, I can attest to the fact that it was alright. It would still never top the legends like Little Caesars, Popeyes, and my favorite homophobic chicken, Chick Fil A, it's got the average tier. The silly little crowns made up most of its ranking though.

After eating and babbling, we made it back to the auditorium where my most favorite moments of the trip had taken place.

Ashleigh Crosson's experience and ambitions while being a college student interested in journalism really resonated with me.

Although I'm a heavy procrastinator, always scattered all over the place, I'm pretty good with collaborating, and don't like leadership, but I still sometimes struggle with some of the things she highlighted in her lessons.

The two specific ones were communication, first impressions, and being ambitious about what you want.

I struggle the most with communication in general, and it's been the biggest thing I've been trying to work on. The Flash has had its periods where everything seems like it isn't going smoothly. I already knew everyone's personal situations- everyone openly expresses theirs, but it can still be frustrating when it comes to things not being done, and having to outreach myself to communicate with everyone else to see what is going on. I've never called anyone out like Crosson, but I can see how she did.

The biggest lesson in life is realizing that not everything is about you, and your actions affect others around you. From the impressions you give through your actions and words, or your ambitions and how you work towards them, it paints a picture of who you are as a person. And, of course, people are going to be interested, or others will have to interact in some way. Crosson's bridge analogy, being a 'good architect and strong support' let's others around you know that you're more than just what meets the surface.

As for the consistency and ambition part, I'm still working on it... Give me more time 😔🙏.

I will add though, the amount of fighting and work that Crosson put forth to become a part of the editorial board, against tons of people is honestly inspiring. It's something that I strive to one day to be as interested and motivated by something as Crosson was.

And of course, the best part of it all, seeing Laila go up on stage all nervously and grabbing her award for best editorial writing in the state. Seeing her grin and look at the cameras was adorable, but also gripping. Not in a tear jerking way, but more in a 'Wow, I'm so proud and excited for this friend in a way that I could never express in a non-weird way.'

Hearing Laila express initial doubt of her winning, and her lack of expectancy made me surprised and a little annoyed. Everyone in The Flash is intelligent in ways I'm still struggling to catch up to. Not grades, classes, or just education wise in general, but socially and culturally. I learn something new everyday from or about Laila, and how much she cares for her work and everyone around her. She did everything, reading the rules, practicing, and wasting hours at school to be at the Flash, she put WORK. To think she had any doubt is absurd to me. I'm a hypocrite, but I don't care. I love seeing Laila, Angelo, and Maya's hard work manifest in them making it all the way to states, and taking the chance. Because at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

I'm proud, very, very proud, and I hope she flexes that big award in everyone's faces every hour of the day. Get into an argument? Have you won a Penn State editorial writing award? Exactly. 😈

After we took pictures and took our leisurely walk in the rain while my hair got increasingly worse, we got ice cream. Of course, I had to go with my delicious, scrumptious, top tier cookies n creme choice, and then devouring it in less than 5 minutes while we walked back to the van

I'll be honest, the last part of the trip was a blur. Being full out of my mind and cosigning everyone's conversations while I'm halfway dying was nice. I enjoyed seeing the cute cows and hearing everyone's weird dreams, shows, and actors I have no idea about. It was a nice background noise for my brain. I still felt bad that Dahslee didn't go, but I'll be sure to share all our photos and my photos to her, as well as my experience. 😋

To be honest, I enjoyed this experience. Being there with everyone who signed up for the trip, talking, playing around, and laughing. It felt amazing to see everyone smiling and being all together in one place. I'm happy to have been there and experienced it all. I feel lucky to have amazing Flash members like these.

Sophia Sok '26

April 3rd 2024, a gloomy, rainy and breezy Wednesday morning was the first time I will be going out of the city Philadelphia without my parents and entering the grounds of a populated college. I was nervous. Nervous of getting looked at. Nervous of feeling out of place. Nervous of the huge campus and large numbers of people. The ride was 3 hours long. Once we reached the campus, it was the most exciting thing ever. It was so beautiful. Grass was cut and bright green. Scholars walking about heading to their destination. Buildings were mostly glass and were outstanding. We walked in and wow was it so big. The Staff welcomed us, handed us goody bags and offered us breakfast. The auditorium was enormous. Many different schools were here; students walking around with cameras; groups finding an area to be seated at; it was crowded but had space for one another. Later, the competition began. Competitors went to compete while others in the group, including me, made a decision to walk around and explore the building more. There were so many separate stands promoting their purpose such as safe sex, getting a job at a library, helping recycle and save the world and more! There were also various food stores downstairs. The food course was huge and many scholars took almost all tables! Some even sat on the stairs and studied. We later reunited with the competitors and ate. I had a burger and fries from Burger King with a Dr.Pepper, it was delicious! After lunch, we headed back to the auditorium to have small group talks and hear the winners of each section of the competition. From the small group talks, I learned that you are not the only one with a story. Everyone has a story to tell. Activities create stories. Decision making creates stories. From a number of speeches made, I took the time to thoroughly think about their advice and words. When an opportunity comes up, take it, even if you aren’t too confident in the subject/activity. Experiences come from opportunities. But, you cannot always say yes. Say yes if you’re willing to create a new bridge while others follow, if not, pass the opportunity down to others. And now was the time awards are being handed out. My friends and I hoped a member from our club would win and she did! Laila Willack received an award for winning editorial writing. I was screaming, clapping and rooting for her when she went up to grab her award. It was amazing to see someone I know win. As a reward to all members, we decided to try ice cream from here! It was a 10 minute walk but the walk felt very therapeutic. It was drizzling but everyone shined like the sun. Everyone was so polite and kind and full of respect. We arrived at the ice cream shop and it was very tidy. There were interesting names for their ice creams but it was flavourful. I chose a cup and I believe workers gave me at least 5 scoops. It was overfilled but it was the best ice cream I ever tasted. I ate while we were walking towards our ride. The cup was so filled that I sadly wasn’t able to finish it. The walk back to the ride was a bit sad because we had to leave but at that time, I and the other members were exhausted. It was the most productive and fun day ever. I got to experience what college was really like inside, the looks of buildings, the busyness and tidiness. I would love to go back and explore more!

Semayah Smith ´26

When we got there the competition I was really nervous and kind of overwhelmed due to the amount of people there. As the speaker began to talk I started to take notes about what was happening. one of the advocates that goes by Emily for the competition went on about how excited she was to have us all here. She had now invited a man who goes by John to talk about journalism and all the young students here willing to give this a new try.

Aron Fitzpatrick, the PSPA president, goes on and talks about how thankful and grateful he is for Penn State opening its doors to all these young journalists. Fitzpatrick talks about the roles of the people on the PSPA board and how they have helped with the protection for journalists.

Sophia Montanye is a 4 year, broadcast major, political minor. Also with her is Sarah Higgins an assistant athletic director, creative content & Branding penn state university she began giving her background and how she never thought penn state was an option because her parents were never big fans of athletic sports. Higgins goes on and talk about how many athletes that she has worked with come from many different backgrounds with so many stories. Higgins has applied her skills of journalism to the way she works with sports as a “lens” and looks at it as something different and how to communicate within the elements around the university of penn state.

After all of that, I and the other members took a look around where Penn State was hosting LGBTQ and safe sex events. I had a really good time talking with each person I went up to. It was a good experience for me to learn many new things about the event. The food there was really delicious, it was nice just sitting down with all the members and chatting over a meal. My personal experience during my time at Penn State for the competition, I noticed that my group and I were all from the city. Given that this is a state-wide competition. Overall, I had a great experience and enjoyed learning about the journalism program and meeting people who make it their primary job. This experience has given me the confidence to pursue my goals for next year's competition.

Advisor Colin Chrestay

The night before our group of student journalists was set to travel to state competition for the first time, I couldn’t sleep. I’ve chaperoned so many trips in the last decade and a half that they’re starting to blur together, but this one felt different.

To start, I was the sole adult escorting seven of the most thoughtful and caring students I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching and I was taking them across a state that was mostly unfamiliar territory for them. And I was the driver. And would they make it to school in time for our 6 a.m. departure time?

In short, there were nerves.

So at 10 p.m., instead of hopping into bed at a reasonable hour, I do what I often do when my mind won’t stop racing: I made some tea, cleaned the kitchen, and made checklists for the morning.

My alarm went off at 4 a.m., plenty of time to shower and shave, grab my things, and get the 10 passenger van down Broad St. and to FLC. I took a few minutes to stop for a dozen road donuts at the Dunkin that opens at 4:30. In a line of people who just wanted a quick coffee, I was the only one getting food.

Somehow, I wasn’t the first one to arrive at the dark, dark school. Quinn and Gabriella were already there. So were the first staff members, opening up the building, turning on lights and heat. It’s amazing how many people make this place work each day. It was 5:45.

Eventually everyone else made their way by car or bus or train to the school building and we were on our way, heading west in the rainy dark against a sea of headlights that would eventually become the morning rush hour.

Rain and construction slowed us down but it seemed like everyone was having a good time adding songs to the Flash group Spotify playlist. If you’re looking for a diverse playlist, look no further. K-pop, Paramore, Beyonce, and so much Weezer.

Around Harrisburg, we left the turnpike, crossed the mighty (and mighty flooded) Susquehanna and headed through a foggy pass in the Appalachian mountains and into campus. Suddenly the van came alive with questions about the university. One of the first things anyone noticed was a student drinking their coffee black, which I guess we don’t see that often in Philly.

Once in the event space, I met up with Kate Plows, PSPA board member and adviser for the Panther Press at Strath Haven. We sat and caught up and watched as hundreds of students from around the state covered the press conference that would become the basis for their competition prompts. I knew that many of these students were anxiously preparing for their events, but for me this was the easy part. I sat back, marveling at how intently the students were studying, preparing, taking photos and notes and video. These are my people.

For a while, this was my calm amid the storm. Laila and Angelo and Maya went off to compete and the rest of us wandered the HUB and found student booths, an art gallery, a library, a radio station, and a food court. Okay let’s be real–I was looking for the food court the whole time. I looked on as my students imagined 4 years in this place. With the crowds, yes, but also with the resources. The freedom.

Eventually the competition wrapped up and we were rejoined by Maya and Angelo and Laila in the food court. Burger King crowns were requested. Burger King crowns were worn. I love this group.

While my students had a chance to talk with current PSU students, I got a chance to talk to PA teacher of the year Ashlie Crosson. Crosson is a journalism adviser and we talked about the ups and downs of teaching and advising through the instability of the pandemic. She then casually strolled up to the stage and gave a presentation I hope my students never forget.

Finally, it was awards time. I’m not going to say I was totally surprised when Laila won first place in editorial writing but after her competition ended she told me she wasn’t feeling it. She just wasn’t in it like she was at Temple in the fall. If she wasn’t in it at PSU I can only imagine how well she could have done. It was great to see her get a moment on the stage in our very first trip to state competition.

All of my students deserve some recognition for their hard work this year so, after the awards ceremony officially ended, we headed to the creamery for some ice cream before hopping in the van for the trip home.

The sun set behind us and it turns out it’s a lot more fun to drive across the state with ice cream and a state championship under your belt. We made it back to school in the dark and in one piece. We were all exhausted but my students are already talking about what competitions they plan to enter next year. As it should be.