On Aug 5- 9 2009, I had the privilege of attending a five day National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Conference & Career Fair in Tampa, FL. I was the only student representative from California State University, Fullerton but definitely made Cal State Fullerton a name to remember. The information and knowledge that I gained from the conference has helped me strengthen my ideas to not only prepare for my career future but also help other students trying to achieve similar goals.

The NABJ conference allowed me the opportunity to network with industry professionals from an array of different backgrounds including Radio, TV, and Web Journalism. I gave a minor presentation about California State University, Fullerton (Student Organization Accessing Resources- Communication Interclub Council, Associated Students Incorporated, and Titan Internet Radio’s Doctor of Love – Dr. Mario show) to a large audience.

I was able to network with familiar faces such as Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, ESPN’s Shaun King, Radio Host Tom Joyner, Actor Chris Rock, and DJ Kid Capri. Some conference workshops included: Freelancing, Learning Labs, Cyber Café, Negotiating Your Broadcast Contract, storytelling in multimedia and so much more.

There was also a Career Fair which gave me the opportunity to meet with professionals from National Public Radio (NPR), ABC, CNN, NBC, FOX, ESPN to name a few. I was also able to speak one on one with them to gain insight as to what steps need to be taken for college students to progress to the next level of their career after college. I gave out my resumes and business cards and even connected with people through Facebook. It was a wonderful learning experience.