Communication Students, Faculty Represent UL at Journalism Conference

*By Grant Jackson

Dr. Bill Davie (left) and Ms. Maria Lambert (right), together with UL Journalism students.

Dr. Robert Buckman, SPJ Vicepresident, Ms. Maria Lambert, UL Journalism Instructor, and Dr. Bill Davie, UL Broadcasting Coordinator

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A little over a week ago, several UL-Lafayette students and faculty attended the 2024 Conference of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in New Orleans. The weekend event brought together journalists from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma. The Department of Communication was represented by student journalists Joseph Webb, Valeria Rico-Arellano, Avery Sturgis, Zeta McCaskill, Halle Deville, and Isaac Henry and by Dr. William Davie, the Department’s Broadcasting Sequence coordinator, and Ms. Maria Lambert, journalism instructor. Additionally, Dr. Robert Buckman, a former UL journalism professor and current Vice President of the SPJ Louisiana Chapter was present. “This conference was an invaluable opportunity for our students to engage with leading professionals in journalism and gain hands-on experience with critical topics,” said Ms. Maria Lambert. She also stated “Events like these are essential in preparing the next generation of journalists for the challenges and opportunities they’ll face in the field.”
During the weekend, the conference held panel discussions and breakout rooms to engage the attendees. The conference included sessions on mental health awareness in the industry, handling the elections, making stories impactful, the basics of becoming a good journalist, and others.