Herald Neighbors

Hofstra hosts Journalism Institute for teens

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Ten Long Island high school students from diverse racial, cultural and economic backgrounds —— including six from Elmont and two from Freeport — recently took part in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication’s 2018 Hofstra High School Summer Journalism Institute, writing biographical feature stories and museum reviews while learning about careers in the media from Hofstra professors and top journalists in the field.

The Bernard and Sandra Otterman Foundation and Press Club of Long Island financially supported the program, which ran from July 23 to 28. The students, who were selected on the basis of academic performance and a demonstrated interest in writing or storytelling, hailed from Elmont, Freeport and Midwood high schools.

“The idea behind the Summer Journalism Institute is to give promising young people a closer look at how exciting the field of journalism can be,” said Scott Brinton, the Heralds’ executive editor and an adjunct associate professor in Hofstra’s Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations.

Brinton and Assistant Professor Mario Gonzalez, who is a freelance multimedia producer for Newsday, were the Summer Journalism Institute’s co-directors.

This year’s participants included:

Maya Brown, Freeport High School, 2018 graduate.

Andrew Candio, Elmont High School, rising sophomore.

Hadia Choudhry, of Valley Stream, Elmont Junior High School, rising eighth grader.

Laila Choudhry, of Valley Stream, Elmont High School, 2018 graduate.

Momna Choudhry, of Valley Stream, Elmont High School, rising sophomore.

Haleema Iqbal, Midwood High School, Brooklyn, rising junior.

Ibrahim Iqbal, Midwood High School, Brooklyn, 2018 graduate.

Sara-Emily Khan, Elmont High School, rising junior.

Nia Matthews, Freeport High School, 2018 graduate.

Abimbola Omotade, Elmont High School, rising junior.

Throughout the week, students learned the crafts of interviewing, researching, writing, and shooting photos and videos. They also toured the Hofstra Museum and Herald Community Newspapers’ editorial offices and pressroom in Garden City, as well as attended lectures by guest speakers, including:

Michael Otterman, executive director of the Bernard and Sandra Otterman Foundation, a published author, former journalist, and former Herald intern and freelance writer.

Shawna VanNess, deputy assistant managing editor and Hofstra adjunct professor.

Bobby Cassidy, deputy multimedia editor and Hofstra adjunct professor.

Nakeem Grant, the Malverne-West Hempstead Herald editor and a Hofstra graduate.

Ronny Reyes, the Franklin-Square-Elmont Herald reporter.