Nine journalists from six continents – fellows of the World Press Institute (WPI) – visited Muscatine High School on Monday, September 21st. The WPI’s goal is to bring foreign reporters from all over the world to America to learn about its diverse culture, and that means touring the country. For their stop in Muscatine, they partnered with the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
As part of their nine-week tour, at the three-week mark, journalists Marco Silva de Sousa (Argentina), Chloe Angyal (Australia)*, Janan Dural (Bulgaria), Ian Froese (Canada), Eman Alsaeed (Egypt), Nina Svahn (Finland), Ardhike Setyaningrum (Indonesia), Francesca Canto (Italy), Njoroge Muigai (Kenya), and Sonja Smith (Namibia) joined Journalism I, AP Seminar, and Newspaper students in the Student Center not only to learn from them, but to give them advice of their own.
After introductions were made, MHS students broke off into small groups and visited each journalist at numbered stations. Conversations covered everything from the environment to the usage of ethical AI in the field of journalism, and at times covered social and political differences between countries.
“For example,” said MHS sophomore Eva Kurriger, who is a student in AP Seminar, “Ms. Setyaningrum was talking about school issues up for debate in Indonesia, and compared that to the U.S.”
Students also found they were more open to foreign interaction than they were before, a promising start for any aspiring journalist.
“I got to learn about a few things that are going on in the world,” wrote sophomore Aliyah Kirby in the post-visit reflection, “and it changed me in the sense that I don’t really know much.”
To express their gratitude, the Auroran’s staff passed out gift bags to the visitors, and a group photo was taken with all of the attendees.
Students lingered to chat and regroup for a moment before returning to class, and what many would call the highlight of their day drew to a close. The Stanley Center hosted an event that evening, inviting students and their families alike to attend and meet the reporters.
The Auroran would like to thank every WPI and Stanley Center team member who helped make this event possible, and would like to thank the visiting journalists who came stateside. Safe travels, and thank you!
*Ms. Angyal stood in for Ms. Canto during the MHS visit.