VOX spiraled into another exciting and jam-packed session of VOX Media Cafe last week, and we got to meet our lovely group of 10 new participants.

We wasted no time getting down to business: The campers started their week by touring the CNN Center. Tuesday, the participants got to get their feet wet and practice their interviewing skills, which the interns aided by impersonating our favorite celebrities at our mock Hip-Hop Awards (including Hillary Clinton).

From left: Arlena as Amandla Stenberg; Mikael as Neil deGrasse Tyson; Dasia as Kim Kardashian; Susan as Hillary Clinton (back row); Josie as Kerry Washington; Jahleelah as Amber Rose and Miranda as her publicist. Selfie courtesy of Mikael Trench.

Later that day, they got even more in-depth practice by interviewing Atlanta upcoming band Revel in Romance press-conference style, after they performed at the Hard Rock Cafe just for us. 

For the rest of their week, the VOX Media Cafe participants brainstormed their first story ideas, which included topics such as community relations with the police, the presidential election, and the new Pokemon Go app. They collected audio interviews and produced an audio story.

The VMC participants are fast learners, and we hope they continue to enjoy learning about journalism for the next two weeks!

Miranda, 16, is a rising senior at Duluth High School, and Mikael, 18, will attend SCAD in the fall.