Student voices: No time for naps at journalism camp

I arrived on Southwest Jefferson Way at 8 a.m. Saturday, not realizing how big the Oregon State campus was.

Other students and I were confused about where the sign would be that stated, “High School Journalism Institute,” but after being in a loop passing the sign multiple times, we finally found it hidden by some bright green bushes.

My first impression? The buildings on campus are so spaced out, and the little amount of walking on this campus I’ve done so far has been almost torturous, with the weather nearly hitting 100 degrees.

After having lunch at 10:45 a.m., I figured out the team-bonding activity was actually a crazy yet cool zip-line course. It was scary, but I didn’t have a bad experience.

When we finally got our bright red itinerary folders, I noticed a problem with our schedules: no time at all in between workshops and mealtimes for any naps. It put me in a serious pickle.

On Sunday, I began feeling the effects. I woke up at 6:20 a.m. and headed to breakfast with no supplies. I didn’t bring this to anyone’s attention, since I assumed we could go back up to our dorms to get our backpacks. I soon learned that was not the case.

So, I learned rule No. 1 of being a journalist: Journalists should never forget their necessary tools.

It’s funny because that was mentioned in the first workshop of the day, where reporter Sami Edge taught us about interviewing and profiling. During lunch at noon, I almost felt so tired that I didn’t go up to see if there were any brownies left for me, which was concerning since I am an avid sweets lover.

This afternoon, we’ve been working closely with editors on our profile articles about our partners.

From this tight schedule, I learned Silent Rule No. 2: Journalists have no time to nap.

–Rio Gyenes, McMinnville High School

This blog post was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to