Savannah Burrows, multimedia student at West Ranch High School and 2016 KHTS Country Showdown Winner, was recently selected to attend a week-long journalism fellowship at the 2018 Student Reporting Labs Academy (SRLA), facilitated by PBS NewsHour.

Every year PBS NewsHour invites 20 students to engage in a six-day program where participants will attend workshops in news reporting and journalism.

Students selected are expected to travel to Washington D.C., where they will experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work and speak with many professionals in the field of news reporting, according to PBS staff.

Journalists and content creators working in the field are scheduled to give lectures and be available to mentor students during the week, giving students a chance to learn from pros through hands on experiences.

The West Ranch High student has been studying news reporting for nearly three years, and now in between her junior and senior year, she will spend a week of summer fine tuning her reporting skills.

“I think one of the things that stands out about Savannah from the broadcasting side, is that she genuinely cares for the subjects she is covering as a journalist,” said West Ranch Principal Mark Crawford. “It is something that is evident in her work and in her broadcasts. I think this is just one of the reasons she was selected by PBS for this honor.”

Since 2015, the West Ranch High reporter has been a part of the West Ranch TV team, doing her part in getting stories and facts to her fellow student peers.

“It’s very humbling and honorable to know that I’ve been selected out of so many students to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Burrows. “I‘m so excited to work alongside students just like me who are passionate about telling stories and being apart of a public service for the people of this nation.”

“While in Washington DC this summer, I’m hoping that I can learn more about the art of exposing other peoples’ stories to the world.”

The West Ranch student aspires to be a role model that exposes pressing issues in the community.

“I’m apart of the generation of change, myself and others can work together this summer to make stories that matter,” Burrows added. “As a singer-song-writer and performer, with every lyric I write, I use the skills I’ve gained in broadcast journalism, advancing my creative writing and musical lyrics.”

Jennifer Overdevest, video production teacher at West Ranch High School, has been teaching at West Ranch High since 2004, giving students an option to be creative and achieve their goals.

“I have had the pleasure of watching Savannah’s talents emerge as a broadcast journalist over the past few years in WRTV,” said Overdevest. “The PBS Student Reporting Lab summer academy will challenge Savannah’s journalistic mindset and teach her how to create news stories that will bring emotion and value to the students of West Ranch High School.”

Elis Estrada, director of SRLA, shared some details about what students will be experiencing while attending the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Academy.

“During the week of the academy, students participate in video production and journalism workshops ranging from story structure, journalism ethics, lighting, sound and editing.” said Estrada. “With help from public media mentors at the academy, fellows learn how to create, collaborate and find their voice by pitching, writing, producing and editing a story in a matter of days.”

PBS has been facilitating the NewsHour SRLA for students studying news reporting since 2014, according to Estrada.

“SRL teaches young people how media and journalism shapes their lives, and in turn gives them a way to make sense of the world around them through storytelling,” added Estrada. “Creating more opportunities for student voice can inspire young people to become civically engaged and interested in the health and welfare of their local communities.

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