Participation in scholastic journalism may have saved Neelam Bohra’s life. At 19 years old, the freshman University of Texas student started experiencing severe health issues and was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that attacked her kidneys. She needed a transplant and found a donor in Leah Waters. Bohra and Waters shared their story with host…
In the newest episode of the Ask Mike podcast, host Mike Taylor, CJE, interviewed yearbook editors from opposite sides of the country. The first interview is done with Saugus High School, Saugus, California. Editors Megan Puettmann, Olivia Tessalaar and Ashley Dredge (collectively known as MOA), shared their thoughts on creating their 2020 yearbook. Taylor’s second…
It’s hard to believe we’re now on season three of Yearbook Chat with Jim! Way back in season one, host Jim Jordan did two new-adviser focused episodes. In “That First Year: New Advisers Reflect,” Jordan interviewed yearbook advisers who had just wrapped up their first year. In his sixth episode, “Taking over an established yearbook…
A note from the producer: This episode of Ask Mike was recorded during the recent yearbook workshop held in El Paso, Texas. While editing the episode, I fell in love with the border community, despite never having visited. The love Mike Taylor has for El Paso is also evident. The young people interviewed in this…
Plenty of Americans grow up watching pro wrestling. Only a small percentage grow up to cover the pro wrestling world as journalists. An even smaller number of those pro wrestling journalists are female. We’d venture to guess that Kari Williams is one of the only female, pro wrestling freelancers who started covering the circuit while…
Mike Taylor, CJE, believes yearbook theme copy should be so strong that the school principal can read from it at graduation. Writing strong copy for the whole school year is no easy feat considering themes are typically developed in October. Some schools are even working on their 2020 themes now – in the spring of…
Recorded live at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim, California on Friday, April 26, 2019, host Mike Taylor, CJE, asked convention attendees “How has journalism helped you in the world?” In this rapid-fire series of micro-interviews, Taylor discussed the yearbook and journalism backgrounds of conference attendees. Tucker Love Tucker Love, the yearbook…
There are some yearbook staffs who continually impress, year after year. But how do they do it? Mike Taylor, CJE, host of Ask Mike, sat down to find out how. In this podcast episode, he interviewed the editors of three outstanding yearbooks. You can listen to their interviews on the new episode, ”What Sets These…
Journalism is a challenging profession, especially when you choose to work in a country other than where you were raised. That’s part of what makes Jessica Rapp so impressive. The writer (and sometimes photographer) moved to Beijing, China, right after graduating from college at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She fell in love with…
If you haven’t already, be sure to listen to the excellent season two bonus episode of Ask Mike. In the episode, titled “How Do I Create a Podcast?” Mike Taylor, CJE, and guest Samantha Jo Berry of Bridgeland High School in Houston, Texas, discuss the many benefits of adding podcasts to her journalism class curriculum.…
