Date: October 18, 2012
Author: Allison Moder, Yarbrough-Grady intern
Contact: Joe Dennis, jodennis@uga.edu

On Oct. 3-4, Grady College hosted high school students and faculty from all over the state in the Georgia Scholastic Press Association (GSPA) fall conference.

Conferences come and go, but this gathering truly is a labor of love for Grady College. Everyone is involved, from faculty who work year round to prepare to the Grady Ambassadors and the Arch Society student volunteers who help with registration and directing traffic.

One of the most important aspects of the conference is the opportunity the high school students have to learn from the heartbeat of Grady College — the professors. Grady professors, as well as graduate students, give their time during the conference to teach the latest approaches to journalism.

Dr. Barry Hollander said it has been rewarding to work with high school students. He has taught at GSPA for the 21 years he has been at UGA and sees it as a great launching pad for the development of the field.

"It's fun to teach high school students to help them see the potential of journalism," Hollander said. "This is probably the single greatest outreach program Grady does — both in numbers of people reached and importance to journalism and all the associated academic fields."

Since coming to UGA in 1928, GSPA has served hundreds of students, providing exposure to journalism on a heightened level. Students get to peek into Grady and an opportunity to hone their skills in an area that excites them.

Having the faculty of Grady College involved in GSPA has opened the doors for many students to learn about the field of journalism.