Students at the SOJC's Summer Journalism Workshop experience deadline pressure.

When 16-year-old Sara Espinoza arrived on campus in June for the School of Journalism and Communication's Summer Journalism Workshop for minority high school students, she didn't think of herself as an aspiring reporter.

Her experience with journalism had been largely accidental--she'd taken a high school journalism class because it fit her schedule.

"When someone first mentioned a career in journalism, I knew that wasn't first on my list of things I wanted to do," she said.

But a week on the University campus changed her mind. In lectures and seminars with SOJC faculty and members of The Oregonian staff, Espinoza learned the essentials of writing, editing, layout and photography. Then she and the workshop's 18 other students put their skills to the test--producing The Mercury, a 24-page newspaper packed with stories on subjects as varied as digital music file sharing and teenage sex. "As the week progressed, it hit me," says Espinoza. "I really could do this for a living."

"If we want to diversify newsrooms... we need to attract minority students."

Espinoza and the other young Mercury reporters worked on a variety of stories. They profiled a Eugene Ems player, investigated a recent increase in campus police authority, and interviewed older students about the challenges of returning to college. Each student earned a byline by profiling another workshop participant. Students were also encouraged to pursue their individual interests in different aspects of the paper's production, from editing to photography and layout.

"This was easily the biggest paper we've produced," says Associate Professor John Russial, who has coordinated the program since 1995.

Russial says the workshop is part of a growing effort to increase diversity in the media. "If we want to diversify newsrooms," he says, "we need to attract minority students in high school--so when they're deciding what to study in college, they think about journalism."Russial and SOJC faculty Tim Gleason and Arnold Ismach developed the idea for the workshop in 1994. It has thrived thanks to a generous ongoing grant provided by The Oregonian, through the Newhouse Foundation. Aside from providing students with skills that will help them take on leadership roles when they return to their high school newspapers, one of the program's goals is to connect minority students with a network of professional mentors. Shortly after last June's workshop, participants spent time in Portland shadowing reporters from The Oregonian, and in some cases staying in their homes. The stories the students worked on were later published in the award-winning paper.

Participants in the SOJC’s Summer Journalism Workshop for minority high school students take a break from their hard work.

The program also helps students preview college life. As part of their Mercury assignments, students interviewed SOJC academic adviser Greg Kerber for advice on how to survive the first year of college.

According to Russial, another aim of the workshop is to encourage minority students to come to the University of Oregon to study journalism. They often do. At the very least, the workshop opens up a world of possibilities to those who attend.

"I know I have a long way to go and a lot of work to do before I ever make it to a professional position on a newspaper staff," says Espinoza. "But the seed has been planted, and I plan to work hard to make it grow."