Students Serve as Panelists in Virtual Round Table

This year, St. Andrew's journalism partnered with News Decoder, a global educational service which connects students with both current and retired professional reporters to guide them in crafting stories of widespread interest. On Friday, January 15, they invited partner schools to listen in to two experts discuss the history of the Presidency, just days before the inauguration in a virtual round table “The U.S. Presidency — Past and Future.” St. Andrew's students Xenia Minton and Emma Stokic participated as student panelists. The webinar, hosted by the Founder of News Decoder Nelson Graves, included experts Gene Gibbons, a former White House correspondent who covered six U.S. Presidents, and Mark Weinberg, a former spokesman for President Ronald Reagan.

 

"I feel that the webinar was a student-led conversation, rather than a direct presentation" said Stokic. "It felt very involved and interactive, as many of us had questions for our experienced guest speakers." What started as a talk of the highly polarized political climate of today’s America transitioned into a drawing of comparisons to the past. "This discussion was one of the most enlightening and thoughtful conversations I have had this year," commented Minton. "Presenting to over 100 viewers with 20 other panelists in 5 different countries was truly an amazing experience, and having the insightful words of both Gene Gibbons and Mark Weinberg was so thought-provoking. Hearing them tell stories of former presidents and their interactions with them was incredible, especially before today's inauguration."