![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
PALO ALTO, Calif. — An army of cars turns into the Palo Alto High School parking lot. Students clad in multicolored press passes swarm out of the passenger seats. Since 2013, the Journalism Education Association’s (JEA) NorCal Media Day has connected and educated student journalists throughout the state.
As the JEA NorCal Board Recording Secretary, Rod Satterthwaite helped plan event logistics for the ninth year in a row. Also the Palo Alto journalism advisor, he noted the evolution of the event.
“It used to be really print-centric, but as journalism has changed, we’ve tried to adapt to that,” Satterthwaite said. “There are also definitely more student presented sessions now, and more student driven content, whereas in the past, it was mainly teachers and professionals.”
Vendors, from yearbook publishers to media companies, hosted booths. West Area sales manager Rhonda O’Day appreciates the opportunity to meet a variety of people.
“The value to us is getting exposure to some of the best programs,” O’Day said. “You guys are here to learn, and we can show you what we’re able to bring to not just your book programs, but also just in general.”
JEA NorCal Board Member Matthew Moul, who advises Los Altos High School’s journalism program, appreciated the networking opportunities provided by seeing other student-run publications.
“It’s really cool when students get to see that there are many other journalistically-minded nerds out there just like them and other people who get excited about the same things they do,” Moul said. “In past years, my students have met students from Palo Alto High School and students from Gunn and formed cross-staff connections with them.”
Satterthwaite finds hope for the future of journalism in each year’s student attendees. He views NorCal Media Day as a testament to journalism’s longevity despite recent developments like the emergence of generative artificial intelligence.
“You have people saying, ‘Don’t go into journalism, it’s a dying field,’ yet you see this happen,” Satterthwaite said. “It’s really energizing to me to see the young people as a future of journalism, coming together to create such a cool event.”
