By Shielo Joy Espinosa Delariarte, High School Workshop Participant, Banaag Staff Member
“To make the invisible visible” was the mantra that Ms. Jamela Aisha Alindogan, in her empowering tone, used to highlight journalism’s role during the Journalism Workshop at Liceo de San Jacinto Foundation, Inc. (LSJFI) on August 24, 2025, where she was the main resource speaker. The workshop, themed “Empowering Licean Voices: Building Skills for Responsible and Creative Campus Journalism,” was jointly spearheaded by the LSJFI administration, Supreme Student Council, Licean (college student publication), and Banaag (high school student publication) for high school and college participants. Its goal was to empower Liceans to use their voices to tell impactful stories as they embark on their journalistic pursuits.
Ms. Alindogan elucidated the mantra she applied. An international journalist, she shared her inspiring and challenging stories through her journey as a beginning journalist, her college life at FEU, and her internship at Al Jazeera (a foreign news channel). She showed videos of some of her courageous interview encounters, which were baffling to the participants if they were the reporters. Some were with rebel leaders and African tribes. Discussing the ethical conduct, core practices, and modern challenges of journalism, she answered questions concerning the relevance of journalism principles in the video clips of her encounters. Before the workshop concluded, she assigned a month-long project for the participants.
For his pre-lecture part, Mr. Remigio S. Espares III, LSJFI Media Consultant, helped the participants discover common writing mistakes. He also shared tips on how to grasp the right words, especially in oral journalism or impromptu speaking engagements without depending on AI.
Both lecturers discouraged the participants from over-relying on AI platforms for their journalism learning, especially for outputs.
Facilitated by teacher-coaches Aimee Esparaguerra, Marissa Almodiel, Reymond Bauso, and the SSC, headed by Hanley Aguirre, the workshop served as a guide for the school’s aspiring journalists. They felt inspired to learn the effective yet ethical way of telling relevant stories. Filled with enthusiasm, the activity was a success; the participants looked forward to another highly educational gathering.
