Message of ICMA 2024: Seize Your Opportunities

Scene in downtown Des Moines as ICMA advisors walk to lunch break. Warm, sunny day in Des Moines.

Well, thank you, Iowa College Media Association. This year, at its 2024 convention Feb. 8, the organization gave me the Eighmey Award, its highest honor for a person who supports student media at Iowa colleges and universities.

It’s sweet to receive the award that is voted on by ICMA members—professors and advisors in media at many of Iowa’s colleges, community colleges and universities. It was a heartwarming moment for me, and I appreciate the recognition from my peers.

Image made in journalism class by Kev Nelson, MMU students, during interview exercise. But how I feel about ICMA recognition.

It was, of course, a highlight of the convention for me, but in accepting the award, I tried to say that students need to push themselves to continue doing the important work of telling key stories at their campus—to bear witness and to seize the opportunities that college presents. Maybe I didn’t say the final part, but I thought it.

The theme of the convention this year, for me, was “seize the day.” In many presentations on different topics, speakers echoed each other, telling students to network, take advantages of opportunities and be open to finding paths that they didn’t expect.

I think maybe one of the young professionals in the final ICMA panel, traditionally a group of recent graduates reflecting on the first years of their post-college careers, put it best:

“The path is neither linear nor defined,” said Nick Kelly, Meredith. “Don’t ever think it will be a straight line.”

Clay Masters of Minnesota Public Radio speaks to ICMA conference.

In his keynote speech to ICMA, Clay Master of Minnesota Public Radio (recently going there from Iowa Public Radio) noted the way his route to journalism was indirect. He started college as a business student in Lincoln, Nebraska, but wasn’t happy. One morning, he read a review in the student newspaper on campus—a scathing review of a band that he liked.

“The review was terrible, and all I could think was ‘I could write better,’” Masters said.

The experience caused him to “trust my gut.” He joined the paper, and ended up in radio after switching majors and doing an internship with Nebraska Public Radio.

“If I had not seen the piece about the band that I liked, I would not have trusted my gut and where it led me,” Masters said.

So, one way to seize the day, as Masters noted, is to trust your instincts and try new things.

Maggie Thorne speaks to Iowa Newspaper Association (and ICMA). Thanks, INA, for again allowing ICMA to attend your convention and to host our meetings.

Maggi Thorne, a contestant on the show American Ninja Warrior and the Iowa Newspaper Association’s keynote speaker, noted that a key to success is to be brave enough to take chances.

“I am not fearless—absolutely not,” she said. “I am willing to be uncomfortable.”

And the importance of learning to live with the discomfort of the new was again echoed in another ICMA presentation.

Justin Fairfax, studio director of a movie-commercial production company in a small Iowa town.

“If you are getting too comfortable, stop,” Justin Fairfax said. “Do something that makes you uncomfortable, try something new.”

Fairfax, director of studio operations for Renovo Media, a video production company that works on movies and commercials, added another point. It’s not always what you do, it’s how you act, that can lead to more opportunities, he noted. And it’s important, whenever you can, to network.

“It’s not throwing away your opportunities” to work with people in your chosen field, he noted. In terms of movie production, he said that the majority of people who work in that field didn’t imagine themselves doing their particular specialty, but got into their niche through experience and networking.

Networking—yet another key way to seize the day, and one reason to go to ICMA. Cue the other young professionals:

“The only reason I got (into public radio) is I networked—seize the opportunity to meet people in the field,” said Cece Mitchell of Iowa Public Radio.

“Don’t be afraid to explore,” said Abby Koch, communication director for Marshalltown Public Schools.

“It’s not always what you know,” said Taylor Teays, Bayard News Gazette. “It’s a whole lot about who you know.”

So, two additional points from ICMA: Seize your opportunities and get to know (and be nice to) the people you want to work with. More images from conference on ICMA gallery page.

As for me, I’m nearing the end of my career, so I’m not looking to network much nor looking for new opportunities. But I want to finish my race strong, to lay down a foundation that might last in uncertain times. Winning the Eighmy Award is sure nice. Better still would be to help the next generation of media professionals seize their moments.

And so, the point of ICMA, some images of future Iowa media professionals: