Bluejays Build Journalism Skills at NHSPA Fall Conference

October 26, 2026

By Natasha Zamora 

From asking the right interview questions to learning how to tell a story, student journalists gained new skills at the Nebraska High School Press Association Fall Conference at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Each year, NHSPA throws together a convention at UNL. Journalists from all around Nebraska come to Lincoln to learn more about journalism. The convention is an opportunity to branch out to other schools, learn new skills, and become a better writer. 

Journalism student Payton Ebmeier explains that she found the sessions helpful to her in many ways to improve her skills in Journalism.

“I found the session about interviewing the most helpful. I always struggle to figure out how to get great quotes out of people, especially high school students. But I will use what I learned to better my photography as well as my interviewing skills,” Ebmeier said.

Throughout the conference, students had the opportunity to learn from others and explore different areas of journalism. These experiences helped students understand how they can improve their reporting and share stories with their school communities.

Second year journalism student Arriah Ludden explained how students can apply what they learned to their journalism work.

“Students can use these skills in their journalism work by helping improve their stories, photos, captions, etc.,” Ludden said.

Ebmeier also explained why she thinks attending the conference is important for student journalists.

 “This conference is important because there are so many sessions with many different focus groups. Basically, if you're struggling with something, there is a session for it,” Ebmeier said.

Students can use what they learned to improve their writing, ask stronger interview questions, and tell stories that matter to their readers.