After a long hiatus, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is making a big comeback at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, hoping to promise new opportunities for aspiring journalists. The new SPJ board spoke with The Mānoa Mirror to introduce who they are and what they hope to bring to the table.
Each board member brings their own perspective to the table, but they all share one goal: to rebuild SPJ into a space where journalism students can grow, connect, and feel supported. I asked them what inspired them to get involved.
“I was really inspired to be a part of SPJ because of a desire to form more of a sense of community in the journalism program at UH Mānoa. I feel like being such a small program, it would be nice to have more connection and collaboration between the students,” said Josslyn Rose, the president of SPJ at UH Mānoa.
“I thought that being a part of SPJ here at the university would allow me to not only kind of expand my knowledge of journalism and how it’s like in the professional world, but also help other students be able to gain the opportunities they need to succeed,” said Alyssa Salcedo the vice president and secretary of SPJ at UH Mānoa.
“I want to be able to contribute and be a leader for the journalism department. And so I thought being a part of SPJ was perfect. It was in the category of what I wanted to do, essentially,” said Alani Calderon, the treasurer of SPJ at UH Mānoa.
With SPJ back on campus, the board has big plans for the semester. From workshops and guest speakers to networking events, their goal is to give journalism students more real-world experience and a stronger sense of community.
“I think our main priorities this semester is mostly nurturing outreach. So like reaching out to students, seeing if they want to, you know, become a part of SPJ, whether they’re a journalism major or not, as well as, like encouraging fellowship,” Salcedo said.
Beyond the planning and the events, each board member has already found moments that made their involvement in SPJ worthwhile.
“I think getting closer to my executive officers, really talking to them and seeing their insight, they’re both seniors, so I’m really inspired by them,” Rose said.
”When we were still kind of figuring out, okay, who are the officers, who is actually interested, because I think from there, we can kind of see like, Okay, who kind of wants to step up to this opportunity,” Salcedo said.
”I’m glad I got to contribute to making the SPJ logo, the SPJ logo with the rainbow and the UH little symbol, so I was happy I got to design that,” Calderon said.
Whether you’re looking to build your portfolio, connect with other storytellers, or just find your place in the journalism world, SPJ is open. To join, send over an email to [email protected], message @spjuhmanoa on Instagram, or reach out to any board member for more info. With new leadership and big plans ahead, SPJ is ready to continue its story.
