Her name is Jordan Gass Poore’ (yes, that’s an apostrophe and it’s supposed to be there), she’s a 24-year-old, and she won more votes than anyone for her slot in SPJ’s latest national election (clocking in at 250, the second rep got 176 votes) — becoming one of two student reps on the board.
She’s got 11 internships under her belt, including at joints like the Los Angeles News Group, Texas Monthly, The Texas Tribune, Rivard Report, New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, Austin-American Statesman and The Austin Chronicle. Currently, she’s the web content manager for the Texas State University campus station and interns with an Austin-based NPR affiliate.
She won’t be graduating until 2015, but obviously has already been around the block. We got in touch with her and asked her a few questions:
What’s your current class load, freelance load, work load?
I’m enrolled in 12 hours of coursework. I also work part-time as the web content manager for KTSW and as a contributing writer for the San Marcos-based Bobcat Fans magazine and occasionally The Austin Chronicle. I’m also interning with KUT and “The Honor Farm,” as well as working as second AD for “Dr. Cheapskate.” [This last is a film she works for].
Why did you join SPJ?
I joined SPJ, I believe, as a college sophomore because I believe in the organization’s mission in protecting the First Amendment and to “foster excellence among journalists,” as well as to encourage others to work in the field.
Why did you run to be a student rep on the national board?
I decided to run for a student representative position with SPJ’s national board because I wanted to help implement positive change within the organization. That change includes connecting college SPJ chapters with their local high school(s) journalism department(s). I was placed at a high school for my teacher certification that no longer had a campus newspaper. This school didn’t have a blog or a weekly newsletter. My time serving in various positions with my high school newspaper and yearbook were pivotal in my decision to major in mass communication.
That change also includes a mentor/mentee program and increasing SPJ members’ knowledge of coding and data — and how this can used to help tell a story — through workshops.
What are your big plans for the next year, both professionally, academically, and SPJ-y?
My big plans for the 2014-2015 academic year are getting a B in meteorology, not getting into a vehicle accident in downtown Austin, visiting prospective Texas graduate schools, passing my teacher certification exams, applying for The New York Times Student Journalism Institute and the Scripps Howard Semester in Washington program, and help program Zombie Stories [that’s an SPJ program], as well as help implement positive change within SPJ through the aforementioned ideas.
Advice for students finishing up school? Should they get involved in SPJ? Why?
Is it too late to say don’t double major? Really weigh the pros and cons of grad school. Start paying off your student loan debt. Now. Journalism students should get involved in SPJ because they should never stop learning about their craft.