Emerson offers over 100 on-campus student organizations but is most famous for its many student performing arts groups. However, from broadcast and print to professional organizations, journalism students are constantly working to bring awareness to events on campus and around Boston in their own student-led newsrooms.

Among the affiliated journalism student organizations are WERS, WEBN-TV, Good Morning Emerson (GME) on the Emerson Channel, The Berkeley Beacon, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), and National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

SPJ, NAHJ, AAJA, and NABJ are all professional organizations that help students build connections within their specific group and the larger community.

Hannah Nguyen, a senior journalism major and current editor-in-chief of The Berkeley Beacon, is co-president of AAJA, a role she has held for over a year. AAJA became affiliated with Emerson this fall, despite existing as an interest group previously.

“I would consider us a fairly new organization,” Nguyen said, “and I would love for more people to join because you can get a lot of really cool opportunities.” 

According to Nguyen, meetings are relaxed and focus on what members want to do.

“We ask our members, ‘What do you actually want to get out of this, and how can we support you?’” she said.

These professional organizations are branches of larger national organizations, which can provide additional support for Emerson students. 

“The national organization [of AAJA] has a mentorship program … which has helped me look for jobs and internships,” Nguyen said.

Jaeel Beato, a junior journalism major, is the president of NAHJ and the news director of the recently revamped WEBN Español. NAHJ, which Beato said is “a place to talk and be authentic,” offers resources and a community for Hispanic students at Emerson who are interested in journalism.

“We are trying to become nationally affiliated, which will open up more funding, and we will be eligible for the national awards,” he said. 

Beato said one of his priorities this year is to bring back the Media Fusion Collaborative, a joint event with SPJ, NABJ, and AAJA.

“We had such a strong table of panelists,” Beato said. “Columnists, news directors, and prominent journalists in the industry who gave us such unique advice that I still use to this day.”

Beato added, “Joint events are the most powerful because we all come together regardless of ethnicity, and we all have the common goal of succeeding in the field.”

Beato hopes to take a group to the national convention next summer, and NAHJ hopes to give its members a tour of the Boston Globe this semester.

WERS, Emerson’s radio station, is another organization for prospective journalists. 

Zhi Zhu, a sophomore journalism major, works on WERS as a host and reports for its show, “You Are Here.” He also works on the morning news show with George Knight. 

Zhu said that WERS “helps [him] understand what it’s like to work in a radio station,” and that “the professional staff coaches [members] to be great on-air talents.”

WERS is professionally managed and reaches over 150,000 listeners in the Boston area every week.

“I’m very proud of the journalistic work that I’ve done with ‘You Are Here,’” Zhu said. “The most deep and compelling stories that I’ve covered have been able to air on the radio.”

Sam Lawrence, a sophomore journalism major, is an entertainment correspondent for Good Morning Emerson, and a contributor to WEBN and The Beacon. Lawrence will also moderate a panel for WEBN’s live election show next week.

Lawrence and the team at GME work hard to give a platform to student productions. 

“I’m trying to find stuff that people will actually really care about on the Emerson campus,” he said.

Lawrence added that WEBN is most students’ first exposure to broadcast journalism and that he “started off as a field reporter, [which] threw [him] into the world of journalism without much experience or training.” 

Despite the high pressure and sometimes overwhelming environment, Lawrence said getting involved with organizations has been valuable. 

“Every journalism organization is really welcoming, and they want you to do well,” Lawrence said. “So don’t be afraid to get your feet wet, go out of your comfort zone, and join a new organization that may not even fit into what you think your career should be.”