Julia Satterthwaite is an advisor for Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, CA. She has been involved with MIPA since 2003. Satterthwaite will teach “Feature Writing,” during the Summer Workshop. Satterthwaite talks about why advisers should send students to camp, what MIPA means to her and her class.
Q: You moved from Michigan to California but you and your husband (Rod Satterthwaite) still come back during the summers to help teach a class at the summer workshop. Can you talk a little bit about why you come back?
A: MIPA is one of the best workshops that I have ever worked with in the country. Also I think MIPA was sort of where I found myself as an adviser and it was through my great mentors in MIPA that I was able to become successful to some extent, although you’re never really done growing. I also met my husband teaching at MIPA in the summer.
Q: What do you teach in the summer? Can you explain the class a little bit?
A: Every summer my course gets sort of an update. I personally call the course ‘Feature Coverage of the 21st Century,’ because I think it covers all of the skills that you might need to do feature writing in multiple multi-platform journalism. I teach them how to write in-depth and informational features, I teach them to work on personality profiles and we also work on covering events either using Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat…I am just trying to teach kids that in modern journalism kids need to know how to do it all.
Q: What is personally your favorite thing about the Summer Workshop?
A: I just think that the energy in every MIPA event is incredible. The level of energy and engagement is so high and I am just really proud to have been apart of that type of an organization. I think that we have the most passionate, talented advisers and students. We are trying to bring the level of MIPA’s excellence out here to the Bay Area. It is one of the best run scholastic journalism organizations in the nation.
Q: Do you in the future ever see California kids coming out to Michigan for the workshop?
A: I hope so. I think one of the challenges is the cost of traveling across the country however I still think MIPA’s value is greater even if it includes the cost of a flight across the country. I also teach at a couple workshops out here in California and they are very expensive. They could basically pay less money for a greater value by attending MIPA. It is something that I am working on and I think at some point I will be able to convince kids to come out to MIPA and see what it is all about and learn from the best journalism teachers in the country.
Q: You moved from Michigan to California but you and your husband (Rod Satterthwaite) still come back during the summers to help teach a class at the summer workshop. Can you talk a little bit about why you come back?
A: MIPA is one of the best workshops that I have ever worked with in the country. Also I think MIPA was sort of where I found myself as an adviser and it was through my great mentors in MIPA that I was able to become successful to some extent, although you’re never really done growing. I also met my husband teaching at MIPA in the summer.
Q: What do you teach in the summer? Can you explain the class a little bit?
A: Every summer my course gets sort of an update. I personally call the course ‘Feature Coverage of the 21st Century,’ because I think it covers all of the skills that you might need to do feature writing in multiple multi-platform journalism. I teach them how to write in-depth and informational features, I teach them to work on personality profiles and we also work on covering events either using Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat…I am just trying to teach kids that in modern journalism kids need to know how to do it all.
Q: What is personally your favorite thing about the Summer Workshop?
A: I just think that the energy in every MIPA event is incredible. The level of energy and engagement is so high and I am just really proud to have been apart of that type of an organization. I think that we have the most passionate, talented advisers and students. We are trying to bring the level of MIPA’s excellence out here to the Bay Area. It is one of the best run scholastic journalism organizations in the nation.
Q: Do you in the future ever see California kids coming out to Michigan for the workshop?
A: I hope so. I think one of the challenges is the cost of traveling across the country however I still think MIPA’s value is greater even if it includes the cost of a flight across the country. I also teach at a couple workshops out here in California and they are very expensive. They could basically pay less money for a greater value by attending MIPA. It is something that I am working on and I think at some point I will be able to convince kids to come out to MIPA and see what it is all about and learn from the best journalism teachers in the country.