When the WordPress website for the 28th Annual Multicultural Journalism Workshop was completed on June 26, it was a moment to celebrate. The intensive journalistic efforts of the last ten days had finally culminated into what MJW Director Meredith Cummings said was one of the greatest MJW publications.

It all started out with the Alabama Scholastic Press Association’s “The Long Weekend.” During that first Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the 20 MJW students, along with some 30 other campers who came just for the weekend, took part in informative workshops spanning the whole range of journalism topics and fields.

Then Sunday afternoon, after the Long Weekend campers left, the time came to put those skills into practice as we covered the aftermath of the destructive April 27 tornado. In a few days, each of us was supposed to lend something to the MJW publication, which is now released both in print and online. A full day would be devoted to spreading out all over T-Town and surrounding areas, gathering stories and interviewing subjects. The next two would be spent editing all of that information into feature stories, photo collections and videos.

Being a native of Tuscaloosa, I already knew much about what happened during and after April 27. Still, it surprised me how much there was left to unearth. For my field day, a fellow camper and I went with a Tuscaloosa News reporter to Berry, Ala., a community I had not previously realized was reduced to ruins in an EF-1 tornado that struck on the same day. I would never have guessed that the Tuscaloosa K-9 team lost their facility in the storms, along with some of the dogs. It brought tears to my eyes to learn how afraid the K-9 trainers were that their newest recruits may be put to sleep due to lack of facilities.

When a Berry resident I interviewed showed a storm shelter that was still in the works, I just had to get every detail. Most importantly, it struck me that, despite the tragedy, the people were increasingly optimistic. They always appreciated every bit of help and never let go of their faith in God. The K-9 trainers are especially glad that they are in the works of rebuilding their facility, thanks to all the donations.

On the job, I also learned much about how to perfect the art of being a journalist. You can learn a lot from an information session. However, there’s nothing like going out there and learning from trial and error: when to ask what questions, how to shoot the photos from active angles, how to be sure that your interviews and stories are as accurate as possible. After I got back, I worked with an intern from The Huntsville Times. From her, I learned how to use iMovie and iPhoto and select just the right clips and pictures to make my story much more effective.

Besides learning to be a better journalist, we picked up so much else from MJW. A tour to the Tuscaloosa News office gave more insight into the life of a newspaper writer and how the paper operates. And I’ll never forget the diverse body of fellow campers I met and learned from – UA students actively working their way towards successful careers in journalism, and media professionals and other journalism experts, both locally and nationwide, who helped us make our publication possible.

Now that I’m back home, still trying to absorb everything I picked up from these ten days. For me, the MJW was nothing short of a learning experience from all sides. To read our publication, visit uamjw2011.wordpress.com.

Neil Chakraborti is a freshman majoring in economics and finance.