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Thomas Named Academy's "Sole Survivor"
06/21/06
Author:
Joe Dennis
Contact: Joe Dennis, jodennis@grady.uga.edu
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Justin (J.T.) Thomas was recently named the 2006 Georgia Journalism Academy's "Sole Survivor." Thomas is a rising senior at Gwinnett County's Meadowcreek High School in Norcross.Sponsored by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of Georgia, the Journalism Academy is a weeklong high school camp for journalism students. Students live in a campus dorm and take classes at the Grady College in one of six core areas: broadcasting, news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, photography and graphic design. Sixty-three students attended this year's camp, held June 11-17, which revolved around the theme of "Journalism Survivor."
Thomas, a resident of Tucker, was a member of the broadcast class that put together a 15-minute news show using state-of-the-art editing software and equipment. Thomas' instructors selected him as the "Broadcast Survivor," and he competed against "Survivors" from the five other classes for the title of "Sole Survivor" ? an honor derived from a vote by all Academy students. 
Thomas' broadcast instructors said they considered him their "Survivor" because he did a great job helping his group edit and complete their project on Academy student housing. "J.T. was also always willing to help out the other groups with editing or whatever else they needed. He came to class excited and eager to learn each day," they noted.
Thomas, a starting running back for his high school football team, said he hopes to pursue a career that will utilize both his athletic and broadcast skills. "I'm very interested in broadcasting," he said. "I learned a lot of new techniques at the Academy and it really helped strengthen my broadcast skills.
While the broadcast class put together a news program, the other classes worked on The Tribal Times, the Academy newspaper. The Tribal Times showcased the work of all Academy students from their specialty classes in news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, photography and graphic design. 
Other top campers who were named "Survivors" included:- Biz Carson (Alpharetta/Alpharetta High School), feature writing
- Kelly Lanier (Athens/Clarke Central High School), news writing
- Robby Letzler (Atlanta/North Springs High School), editorial writing
- Juan Cardoza-Oquendo (Decatur/Decatur High School), photography
- Samantha Paulsen (Raleigh, N.C./ Cardinal Gibbons High School), graphic design
The Georgia Journalism Academy is held each year in June. Instructors include Grady College faculty, staff, graduate students and professionals in the field.
To begin photo gallery
Established in 1915, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication provides seven undergraduate majors including advertising, broadcast news, magazines, newspapers, public relations, publication management and telecommunication arts. The college offers two graduate degrees, and is home to the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism and the Peabody Awards, considered the electronic broadcasting industry's most prestigious prize. For more information, visit www.grady.uga.edu.
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