{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"From KIPA to KPA &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ZRctMSdfXY\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/from-kipa-to-kpa\/\">From KIPA to KPA<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/from-kipa-to-kpa\/embed\/#?secret=ZRctMSdfXY\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;From KIPA to KPA&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"ZRctMSdfXY\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/JenniferPerkins.jpg","thumbnail_width":220,"thumbnail_height":220,"description":"I\u00a0almost never became a journalist.\u00a0 The first time I attended a Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association (KIPA) Conference was the summer before my second year at Eastern Kentucky University in 2017.\u00a0 I had just been hired on as the opinion\u2019s editor at The Eastern Progress, which is the student media outlet at EKU.\u00a0 KIPA is essentially a Kentucky Press Association Conference for college students. They don\u2019t have a fancy awards banquet at the end, but they do have sessions where you can learn about different areas or topics of interest in journalism.\u00a0 I remember being completely and utterly overwhelmed after my first KIPA session.\u00a0 The first session I remember attending was a man who kept talking about \u2018enterprise\u2019 stories.\u00a0 I had no clue what those were. Honestly, I had no concept of what the different story types were in journalism, so it wasn\u2019t like I could even piece together a definition using context clues.\u00a0 That first KIPA conference almost did me in. I was so panicked internally that I almost backed out of a career in journalism right then and there.\u00a0 For those of you who don\u2019t know how I got into journalism, I essentially chose the career on a whim.\u00a0 I had a lot of college credits from high school, and I needed to know what major I wanted before going to college since I didn\u2019t have time to explore different paths while taking general education courses.\u00a0 The summer before I left for EKU, I randomly chose journalism as my major because people had told me I was good at writing, which I guess makes sense because my mom is an English teacher.\u00a0 I had scored well on advanced placement written exams in high school, so it seemed like a logical choice when I needed to decide on a college major.\u00a0 That first year at EKU I HATED journalism, but alas, I decided to apply for a position at The Eastern Progress at the end of my first year.\u00a0 I figured, \u2018let me see what a newsroom is like, and then if I still hate it, I can at least say I gave it a shot.\u2019 When I attended the KIPA conference, I had still not been in the newsroom working on stories or doing layout, so when I found myself lost and confused at the conference, I thought then and there, \u2018Welp \u2026 this isn\u2019t going to end well.\u2019\u00a0 I left that conference wearing a fake smile that made my cheeks hurt and dread for the impending doom that was surely to be my next semester.\u00a0 You could say that I was pleasantly surprised when I finally stepped into the newsroom at The Eastern Progress and everything clicked.\u00a0 I fell in love with journalism, and each semester I learned more and grew into the writer I am today.\u00a0 Ironically, my first award at the professional Kentucky Press Association Conference was for Best Enterprise or Analytical story in 2018. About a year and a half after that first KIPA conference, I attended the professional conference and won an award in a category that I couldn\u2019t even define when I first started my journey to becoming a journalist. Last Friday, I attended my third Kentucky KPA conference, and it was my first time attending as a professional journalist. I was so blessed and honored to bring home five first place awards, but I think the award that is the most special is the new first place best enterprise story plaque that I now have hanging on the wall in my office.\u00a0 It has finally come full circle. From my first KIPA conference to my first professional KPA conference, I have gone from being so overwhelmed that I wanted to quit to loving it so much I can\u2019t see myself doing anything else.\u00a0"}