by Marnie Clark

John White, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, spoke to cherubs about his experiences. Cherubs hear from a variety of journalists throughout their five weeks.

Patricia Callahan writes for change. Robert McClory follows the heroes. Craig LaMay protects journalists from legal pitfalls. David Protess frees the innocent. Scott McKenzie practices journalism from all platforms. And Susan Mango Curtis visualizes the future of print. These journalists’ lessons inspired and informed 84 cherubs during the 2010 program at the National High School Institute.

When one of the speakers is a Pulitzer Prize winner, the inspiring happens early.

Callahan, a Chicago Tribune reporter, told the cherubs her Pulitzer Prize winning article started when she was looking for a safe gift for a friend who just had a baby. The search for a gift led to an investigative project that led to change in safety regulations for children’s toys.

“Her work showed us the power of the media and how words can impact an entire society,” said Angela Luh, of California. “She made us believe we could do the same.”

Cherubs also heard from another Pulitzer Prize winner, photographer John White. Like Callahan, White also sent the cherubs a message.

“His story was amazing,” said Katie Burke, of Washington D.C. “The fact that he could make such incredible photos from humble beginnings really inspired me.”

McClory spoke about his unconventional route through journalism as a Catholic priest to Medill professor and author of several books. McClory gave the cherubs tips on writing feature stories and told them about his time as a reporter for the Chicago Reader, where he wrote about the heroic tales of average citizens.

“I was inspired to write feature stories,” said Nina Goldman, of New York. “He made me realize that feature stories are just important as news stories.”

LaMay a Medill professor and another book author, informed the cherubs about the possibility of facing a libel suit and the definition of privacy and how it affects the practice of journalism.

“It was a good mixture of what law really is,” said Sam May, of Minnesota. “It was very engaging.”

Protess like LaMay has a passion for justice so strong that people owe their lives for it. Protess founded the Medill Innocence Project, which is dedicated to freeing innocent prisoners who were wrongfully convicted. Protess spoke about the cases he had investigated and what it takes to prove the prisoners’ innocence. His work motivated a former Illinois governor to declare a moratorium on the death penalty. Many cherubs said they hope to work with Protess.

“If I come to Medill, David Protess will have played a huge part in that,” said Eve Zuckerman, of France.

McKenzie, who works for The Nielsen Company, emphasized the importance of using all platforms of media, such as Twitter and video, to be journalist.

“An all-platform journalist is unbound and able to use both classic and modern forms of storytelling to ignite the passion of curiosity in readers,” said Andrew Caplan, of Pennsylvania.

With journalism evolving into multiple media outlets, cherubs are entering a more visual world of journalism, and Curtis discussed ways cherubs could present their information.

“She showed us programs that you could use to design layout for iPad or iPhone,” said Sara Garner, of Florida. “It’s a realistic solution for your paper.”

Although these speakers differed in their paths, they shared a passion for journalism.

“You take the time to imagine yourself as a journalist, but then you hear these speakers,” said Ileana Najarro, of California. “And you say, my imagined future is actually possible.”