The growth of journalism and multimedia education is on the rise as the world adjusts to new technologies and what that means for the future of journalism. Las Vegas Academy of the Arts (LVA) High School has newly become a part of the multimedia education community as the school began the Multimedia Arts and Communications (MAC) major, offered for the first time beginning this school year.
Currently the major is very small in size compared to the hundreds of students that make up most other LVA majors; with only 2 students, (including myself), in the junior class, 2 sophomore students, and the 12 freshman students that made up the first beginning MAC majors welcomed this year. These major students all take Multimedia Communications I as one of their major classes, and the other is their choice between Photography or Graphic Design as their CTE class. Publications is also a recommended and strongly associated elective in the major. The four non-freshman MAC students all started LVA with a different major, and later changed it at the end of last school year, going into the current one.
There is lots of range in opportunity in the major. Students get all kinds of hands-on experience that touches all sides of journalism from writing to photography to design. Aliyah Billings, is one of the two junior students in the major this year and serves as Publications’ photography manager and editor. She started at LVA as a theatre major, and after taking Publications as an elective her sophomore year, chose to make the switch from theatre to MAC.
“Although theatre has been a big part of my life since I was really little, I realized that I had a passion for journalism. I also realized that there were better career paths, scholarships, and opportunities in general within the multimedia major,” Billings said.
Billings sees a future for herself in Multimedia as a career and in the next couple of years in the major hopes to expand her writing and graphic design abilities, while also perfecting her photography skills.
“My goal is to be well rounded,” Billings said. “I want to be able to dabble in everything, so definitely exploring other forms of media and not just photography.”
The dynamic of the classes makes this range possible, and gives students a sort of freedom to expand,grow, and focus on their specific interests. Freshman MAC major Citlali Lopez is one of the first incoming major students and has a special interest of her own in the design side of multimedia, and is happy to be a part of the new and growing program.
“I think it’s important to have this major because everyone has their talents here,” Lopez said. “This is one of the ones that will most get you ready for companies and maybe give you a job.”
Freshman students like Lopez will be a part of paving the way for the major and what is hopefully the first LVA multimedia class of the many that are to come. A lot is still to be determined.The first appearance of MAC was last year when it was offered a minor, offering a pilot year before its current complete introduction which helped determine and finalize the path for this year’s incoming students. And now with the official beginning and also a sort of pilot year of its own as it is the first year as a major, there is still much experimentation to be done. Through the work of MAC adviser and teacher Elizabeth Strehl, the Accolades (LVA’s online news site) and Eclectic (LVA’s yearbook) leadership & staff, and all contributing students and staff, the major continues to grow its community as many look forward to its next big steps, seeing its potential unfold.
