Far from the crowd, and learning to lead the way

Columbia, Mo., is roughly two hours from St. Louis and two hours from Kansas City. But
if you think that means it sits in the middle of nowhere, just take a tour of the Missouri
campus and you’ll soon change your mind. It’s no secret that for journalism students,
Missouri has one of the best programs in country. Getting the opportunity to learn at this
institution is awesome, but it gets more interesting. My SJI class went on a tour of the J-
school this week. It’s full of state-of-the-art equipment house in nine buildings, and the
program features with six award-winning sequences. Not bad for a school some might
label as being in the middle of nowhere! Not to mention that one out of every five
students at the university (the undergraduate population is nearly 27,000) studies
journalism. The Missouri Method is not simply a theory; it is a consistent initiative to
provide students with proactive, self-engaging experience in media platforms. You learn
by doing. I love the concept and it is the true life of a journalism student. And for this
week, it’s our life. It reminds me of the fact that experiences come in all shapes and
sizes, and it’s you make of those experiences that separates you from the rest.

---Wilton Jackson II