Society of Professional Journalists Chapter George Mason University

This week's member spotlight is Nathan Crawford. Nathan is a freshman Communication student with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in Film and Media Studies from Atlanta, Georgia. Q: When did you join SPJ? A: "I joined in November of 2016." Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved in student media? A: "I like the networking opportunities. For example, I had already met Kevin McCarthy before he came to our meeting and it was really cool to be able to see him again. He remembered my name and who I was, which was really cool. It is a great way to be able to network and use the connections for internships." Q: What other organizations are you a part of? A: "Mason Ambassadors." Q: Have you had any internships or any cool opportunities? A: "I was able to go to the Washington Journalism and Media Conference in 2015. I interned this past Summer for them and I'm going back this July as a Junior Fa...

This week's member spotlight is our Vice President, Lauryn Cantrell. Lauryn is a sophomore with a double major in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and Government and International Politics. Q:When did you join SPJ? A: "I joined as a Freshman during the Fall of 2015 semester." Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved in student media? A: "I like the fact that it is a national organization. I like the fact that there are more people out there who are interested in what I am interested in. I like that we deal with the ethics and the history of SPJ.  I'm a huge history buff." Q: What other organizations are you a part of? A: "I am a part of Roosevelt's, which is a Non-Partisan Public Policy group." Q: Have you had any internships or any cool opportunities? A: "I was a Congressional Aid before starting college. I was also able to study abroad in Paris." Q: What are some ca...

This week's member spotlight is Cody Borden! Cody is a freshman Communication major with a concentration in Journalism and a double minor in Sports Communication and Film and Media Studies from Winchester, Virginia. Q: When did you join SPJ? A: "Last semester." Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved with student media? A: "[In regards to SPJ] I love the networking opportunities that it provides. The trip that we took to see Chuck Todd was a great experience to see behind the scenes and to see the ins and outs. Being a volunteer GMU DJ, a host for Freshman's Corner, and a Daily Update anchor are all hands on experiences that will help prepare me for the next level." Q: What other organizations are you a part of?  A: "I am a part of WGMU and Delta Kappa Alpha." Q: Have you had any internship opportunities or any cool opportunities? A: "No internships yet. But all the student media o...

This week's member spotlight is our Public Relations Chair, Aurora Pasos! Aurora is a senior Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations and a double minor in Dance and Art History. Q:When did you join SPJ? A: "My freshman year, 2014" Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved in student media? A: "The opportunity to meet industry leaders and gain priceless information about the field I hope to work in. I also love how this chapter continues to grow and we have all grown closer over the years." Q: What other organizations are you a part of? A: "I am a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha and a dancer in Urbanknowlogy 101." Q: Have you had any internship opportunities or any cool opportunities? A: "I have interned at Northern Virginia Magazine and the Mason Study Abroad Office for their marketing offices. I am currently interning at the Smithsonian Institution Freer and Sackler Galleries." ...

On February 21st, SPJ welcomed Freelance food and environment writer Lani Furbank. Lani attended James Madison University and focused on broadcasting during her undergrad years. Eventually she turned to free lance writing and she is continuing to write today. Lani started out working at News Channel 8 and had some great advice for us. She was able to tell us what it was like to work on an entertainment daily show and what actually goes into the production of each episode. We also left the meeting with a new outlook in the world of free lance writing. Lani had some great advice for us including, "Don't pigeonhole yourself, see where life takes you, and never say no to things that sound fun to you." The meeting came to a close shortly after one of our members asked Lani for recommendations for restaurants in the Greater D.C. area. Just a few of her recommendations were "Smoked and Stacked," "All Purpose Pizza Restaurant," "The Little Red Beet,...

This week's Member Spotlight is Raven Royal! Raven is a freshman Communication major with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in Government and International Politics. Q: When did you join SPJ? A: "I joined last semester." Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved in student media? A: "I really enjoy the guest speakers because it is nice to learn from someone who is already in the field and hear their perspective but also be able to ask them questions. For example, last semester getting to hear Byron Edwards speak. You also get to learn about things you may not have been interested in before." Q: What other organizations are you part of? A: "Mason Cable Network, Honors College, Black Ambition, and Alpha Lambda Delta." Q: Have you had any internship opportunities or any cool opportunities? A: "I haven't been able to do much but I hope to have internship opportunities in the future." ...

This week's Member Spotlight is member Manny Viezaga! Manny is a Communication major concentrating in Media Production and Criticism  and  plans to graduate Spring 2018. Q: When did you join SPJ? A: "I joined SPJ last semester, which was Fall 2016." Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved with Student Media? A: "I think what I love most about SPJ are the opportunities offered to us such as having the chance to meet with professionals in the field and network with them. Also, networking and meeting other students with similar interests and career goals as you is a great experience."  Q: What other organizations are you apart of? A: "Aside from SPJ, I’m also part of the Mason Cable Network. I have a show on there called “What’s Up Mason?” where I go around campus talking to students about student life and national topics. It’s definitely a fun experience to be part of and helps me develop my hosti...

Our first member spotlight will focus on Fareeha Rehman, a junior and the President of the SPJ chapter here ate Mason. Q: When did you join SPJ? A: "I joined in Fall of 2015 as a sophomore. During my first meeting, the opportunity to become the fundraising chair came up and I took it. I was fundraising chair for a year and then Fernanda [the former President of SPJ] convinced me to become president" Q: What do you love the most about SPJ/ being involved with Student Media? A: "People see things like writing or drawing, which is my other hobby, as solitary things but finding SPJ and Student Media has helped me find other people who are interested in the same things as well.  It is very cool to find people who are like you and be able to interact and support each other." Q: Have you had any internship opportunities? A: "I was the Digital Communications Associate at Bixal Solutions." Q: What are some career goals or aspiratio...

GMU's SPJ chapter and Mason Cable Network paired up for a master class on November 1, 2016. The chapter learned some valuable lessons from how to actually set up and operate a camera/microphone for broadcasting purposes as well as how to edit during post production. The members of SPJ were able to participate in a master class where they were able to use the skills they just learned and use them to broadcast mock stories that were recorded in front of a camera.  The chapter had a lot of fun working with the students of Mason Cable Network and they also had a lot of fun making up news stories to "broadcast." Mason Cable Network students alongside SPJ students

On October 4th, 2016 Washington Post Reporter T. Rees Shapiro spoke to GMU's Society of Professional Journalists. T. Rees Shapiro attended Virginia Tech and talked to students about how he worked on a piece involving the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shooting. Shapiro talked to the student journalists about the importance of being able to blend in to your surroundings in order to get stories. For example, Shapiro mentioned how if he were to do a story on a college campus, he would walk around with his backpack in order to blend in more with the students and thus increasing his chances of running into or hearing more details about a story. Overall, the students learned a great deal about perseverance and never giving up on working toward the main goal.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2016 freelance writer and entertainment professional Byron Edwards came to speak to GMU's Society of Professional Journalists. Edwards, who graduated from GMU, has worked in the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. He has worked for companies such as BET, Roc Nation, Bossip, Aol., and Edelman. Edwards talked to the student journalists on what it's like being in the entertainment industry and what it takes to get there. He gave lots of insightful information on the classes he took and the routes he took to get to where he is in his career. He also discussed going from a career in public relations to one in freelance writing and how you should be open and flexible. Byron Edwards produced a huge turnout for SPJ and is always welcome to come back!

On September 20, 2016 Former USA Today Journalist Mary Beth Marklein spoke to the GMU chapter of SPJ to discuss al things journalism and her upcoming Vietnam study abroad trip. Marklein was a freelance writer for 10 years before joining USA Today where she worked for 17 years. While freelancing she was also a professor and was an editor at the same time. She covered stories abroad in Romania and Hungary when first working for USA Today. Marklein first went to Vietnam in 2014 and while she was there she realized she enjoyed being a writer than an editor. She is currently hosting a study abroad program in Vietnam for winter 2017.

On September 13, 2016 Washington Post Reporter Isabelle Khurshudyan visited George Mason University to share about her experiences working as the Washington Capitals Beat Reporter and gave students advice for their future career paths. Isabelle attended the University of South Carolina and obtained a degree in journalism. While she was in college she was an active participant in the school's newspaper, specifically she covered a soccer beat. After her sophomore year she completed an internship at the Daily Press. From there she went on and applied for a journalism scholarship specifically for minorities and women, which she received. Using this scholarship she continued her career and landed a position with ESPN. This particular job taught her to be aggressive, even though she did not write as much as she hoped she would. Her senior year of college she began free lancing with a local paper in the area. Shortly after, she got an internship with the Washington Post and then was hir...