Author: Allison Dodson

Sean Langdon is a senior at Sebastian River HS in Florida, and he attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference in July 2023. After he graduates he will be attending college and interested in studying journalism, law, and political science. This experience afforded him the opportunity to learn from professors, journalists, radio personalities and so much more. Sean is looking forward to sharing his experiences and being part of WJMC 2024 youth advisory board.

Olivia is a senior at South Central High School in Ohio, where her days consist of college classes, singing, and laughing with her friends. She is a part of the school choir, an advanced singing group called Black and Gold, the school musicals, Academic Challenge, Varsity Softball, and SADD, as well as being the President of the Senior Class and National Honors Society. She loves to read and write, and has aspirations to become a published author. WJMC had a large impact on her, and she can’t wait to help bring the same experience to the next group of scholars!

Nicole Parker is currently a senior at Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland. She’s dedicated to her role as the editor-in-chief for her school’s newspaper, The Lion’s Tale which she has been a part of since her freshman year. Nicole is also an active member of Quill and Scroll. She has always had a passion for journalism from a young age, and plans to continue her studies in college. Outside of school, she loves to play softball, go to the gym, and listen to Taylor Swift. She is so excited to be part of the WJMC Youth Advisory Board. 

Nicholas Myers is a junior in high school and plans on becoming a journalist in the field of sports news and statistics when he is older. Nick lives in Harrisburg Pennsylvania and was a member of WJMC in 2023. His interests include running, travel, reading, and playing video games. Nick is also currently involved in his high schools TV news channel along with various other clubs and projects relating to journalism. Through this conference Nick has learned so many important things about the profession and about himself, and cannot wait to start getting involved with next years Youth Correspondents!

Nana Ama Asare-Kwaah is a senior at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. She has been involved in the journalism program at her school all four years, ranging from Newspaper to Yearbook. She has acted as the Copy Editor for both the Literary Magazine and Yearbook. Additionally, following the removal of the Newspaper class, Nana Ama began to write for a blog. She was a National Youth Correspondent for the WJMC summer of 2023 and hopes to make future conferences as wonderful as hers was. Along with journalism, Nana Ama writes creatively and devotes much of her time to studying languages, including French and Mandarin Chinese.

Michael Eddins is currently a junior at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana. Although Michael lives in Lafayette, he is from New Orleans. Michael had an unreal experience at the 2023 Washington and Journalism Conference. He works as a reporter for Varsity Sports Now which is a company that broadcasts high school sports games in Louisiana. Michael loves basketball and everything about his hometown of New Orleans. Michael is excited to return to WJMC for the 2024 Conference, and he wants to ensure that the correspondents have the same amazing experience that he did.

Megan Nguyen is a junior at College Park High School in the Woodlands, Texas. At school, she is a member of the marching band, quiz bowl team, and theatre department. She also participates in competitive dance and is active in politics, volunteering with organizations like FairFight Action, the Office of the Governor of Guam, and the Montgomery County Board of Elections. In her spare time, Megan can be found working as a youth gymnastics coach and traveling with her family. 

Leila Assalil is a Junior attending Winters Mill High School in Westminster, Maryland. She is the president and co-founder of her school’s newsletter and an active member of the class of 2025 executive board at her school. Leila enjoys reading a wide range of genres, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. Traveling and exploring is also a passion of hers. She attends as many school events as possible in support of her fellow peers and her goal is to become an accomplished true crime journalist. Leila attended WJMC in 2023 and is excited to make WJMC 2024 the best conference ever.

Kennedy Kyser is a 2023 WJMC Alumna who attends Myers Park High School in North Carolina. She is heavily involved with clubs at her school and is on dance team. She plans to attend a four year university and major in communications focusing on Media, Journalism, and Film. Kennedy’s dream career is being a Reporter and Journalist for the NBA. She also wants to pursue a career in screenwriting and directing for film and television.  

Kalkidan Legesse is a junior in high school from Springfield, Virginia. Kalkidan has been writing short stories and poems ever since she could correctly write her name. She is a part of her school’s newspaper and controls their social media with street interviews, daily posts, and entertaining news briefs. In Kalkidans free time she loves to watch Modern Family, read thrillers, and try out new restaurants. WJMC was her dream experience and she hopes to share her love for Journalism with all new correspondents.