Freshly squeezed

In between sessions during the National College Media Conference in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 26-27, GC3 Media students soaked up media lessons at Universal Studios.

The annual event, hosted by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and College Media Advisers (CMA) and attended by more than 3,000 college journalists and advisers from across the country, provided media students training in newspaper, magazine, and online production, as well as digital photography and advertising.

Breakaway magazine editor in chief Allyson Maturey attended Digitial Photography sessions, which she said helped hone her photography skills.

"I learned a bunch of things I didn't know before attending the class," she said. "They also taught us photo editing tricks to use in Photoshop."

Boomer Pauda, Breakaway sales representative, attended a special Business and Advertising, which taught him how the GC3 media department could better promote and manage its advertising.

"I learned that it's not about meeting your sales quota or filling your pages with ads, it's about the business you're working with," Pauda said. "It's more than selling ads. It's about helping and understanding businesses and their needs."

Following the workshops, the students along with Media Adviser Laura Guy, spent the afternoon and evening taking in the sights, sounds, and rides at the Universal Studios theme parks.

"I think taking in all that a location has to offer is an important part of the educational process," Guy said. "Besides, much of what we study in media has applications throughout the parks. Whether it is the history or the techniques we've been studying. It's nice to see the students make the connections."

Harley Torres, Breakaway writer and designer, said his favorite ride was ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.'

"It was a simulation ride so you were placed in a cart and elevated a short distance from the ground and all the action of the ride involved a projection screen which displayed vibrant imagery and the cart you were on simulated the movement into the imagery, so it was very and immersive," Torres said.

Pauda said the whole trip was full of new experiences.

"The best thing about the whole trip was getting to experience a new place. The food we ate was awesome and the sights we saw were almost like a new world compared to Kansas," he said. "The flight was also pretty fun, being my first time on a plane. The people I went with also made it fun. There was never a dull moment."