The future of the media is graduating from St. Clair College

There was a gathering of media Thursday night at St. Clair’s Centre for the Arts. But instead of reporting the news, this time the journalists were the story.

A crowd of more than 100 students and their families, teachers and local members of the media came out to the annual Journalism Awards Night. Honours were given to the best students of the journalism and media convergence programs at St. Clair College.

The programs strive to support journalism’s mission of seeking to find the truth and inform the public through factual storytelling. Like other journalism schools in Canada, St. Clair is trying to produce students who are ready for the working world and its 21st century realities.

Students at the MediaPlex said they feel ready for whatever they encounter.

Media Convergence graduate Sanjay Maru said he feels confident about the skills he has learned and is looking forward to a future in broadcasting.

“Coming here to the MediaPlex, I’ve had so much hands on experience,” said Maru.

“All the professors really teach you skills that tie to exactly what you want to do. I want to get into broadcasting and they have perfectly suited me for that.”

Current journalism students and recent graduates say they are excited about the future and whatever it may hold. Angelica Haggert is also recent graduate of Media Convergence program and has been looking forward to this night.

“We get to take this load off our shoulders for a minute. We all have projects that we’re struggling to finish because we’re all really deadline driven. But the energy in the air tonight is just unbeatable,” said Haggert.

Special guest speakers Jay and Morgan of Mix 96.7 Blackburn Radio also had some inspiring words for the up and coming journalists regarding their future in the industry.

“Meeting all these young people out here I feel pretty positive. They’re much smarter than we are — they work much harder than we do,” said Jay Marchillo.

A recent study by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center into global attitudes on media showed out of 38 countries worldwide, Canadians placed in the top 10 when it came to media satisfaction, and 78 percent of Canadians believe the news media is doing well or somewhat well at reporting the news accurately.

These journalists say they are aware of the responsibility that come with the job and are ready to be held to the highest standards.

The awards ceremony is held annually to recognize the hard work of the student journalists here at the Mediaplex. Congratulations to all the winners and best of luck on all your future endeavours.