When I received the email that the Journalism trip to LA would be running again this year, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss out on. Getting the chance to work alongside the Leeds Beckett International Recruitment team and the coaching staff from Carnegie School of Sport to film, edit and interview a variety of people was such a fantastic learning experience, and one that has massively helped improve my journalism skills.

I was selected for the trip after I submitted a two-minute video explaining why I believed I would be the best student for the trip and what skills and knowledge I could provide to the team. After submitting my video, I was then selected alongside two other Journalism students to go to LA for a 10-day experience.

Prior to the trip, I got to have a preview of what sort of things we would be doing whilst in LA. I worked alongside my lecturer Chian Gatewood, to produce a short video about the Carnegie School of Sport which included interviews of several members of staff and a variety of other clips of the facilities we have at Leeds Beckett.

Whilst in LA we did a variety of different things. We managed to maintain a good balance between work and play, while still experiencing the phenomenal sites and culture that LA has to offer. A large portion of our time there was spent alongside the International Recruitment team and coach staff from Carnegie School of Sport at a variety of different high schools and universities promoting Leeds Beckett.

Travelling to all these different schools was an experience in itself. It was so interesting to hear and learn about the differences in the education systems in the UK and the USA, whilst also feeling like I was in a Hollywood film, walking around an American high school! Whilst at these schools, myself and the other journalism students were tasked with capturing a large number of different shots, whether that be of the staff or the location itself, all to be used in our videos that we were to create at the end of the trip. It was my responsibility to edit together an interview with a tennis coach at Leeds Beckett. I’m really proud of the quality of the interview and the final video I produced, and I feel as though without the skills I learnt on the trip, I would not be able to produce such a high-quality piece.

Whilst there, I also got to attend a rugby coaching session at Harvard Westlake high school. This opportunity was exciting for me as I hope to one day enter the world of sports journalism. Even though I study BA (Hons) Journalism, sport is a huge passion of mine and not always something I get to fully explore in my course. However, this trip threw me into that world and I got to have me taste at filming live sport in-action, and it has made me even more eager to learn and develop these skills back in Leeds.

Thanks to my experience in LA, it is safe to say I have developed and grown not only as a journalist but also as a person. Before this trip, I had only picked up a camera once or twice and I now know, heading into my third and final year of university, that I can confidently shoot high-quality videos and interviews, which will massively help me during my assignments next year. I am much more confident in my ability to create content and have more faith in my own choices and decisions.

There were so many highlights of this trip it is impossible to select just one, but I have to say the people I got to meet are a big one. Heading into this experience I was very nervous, as I had to spend the next 10 days with two strangers I’d never met before. However, I can safely say this was no issue and I have now made two friends for life. We have gone through such a unique experience together and we bonded so quickly because of this.

For anyone hoping to study BA (Hons) Journalism at Leeds Beckett or anyone thinking about applying for this opportunity next year, my advice would be just say yes. This is hands down, one of the best experiences of my life and I am so glad I went. Approaching my final year at Leeds Beckett, I will carry the skills I have learnt thanks to this amazing experience to help me graduate with a degree I am proud of, and set me up for my future journalistic endeavours.