A New York Diary: CSUF Creators Conquer the College Media Conference
A personal story from the College Media Association Conference in New York City, and a week that left nearly no time to rest.
Written by Gregory FerraroPhotographed by Gregory Ferraro for ProComm Magazine
As it ran in print
The College Media Association Convention in New York City gathers journalism majors from across the country into the center of the media world, offering a week of panels, critiques and newsroom tours that challenge students to think bigger about their work. Representing Cal State Fullerton as the Creative Director of Tusk Magazine and as a fourth-year Communications: Journalism major with Digital Media Certification and minors in Philosophy and Business: Entertainment and Hospitality, I felt the power of that environment immediately. It was the kind of setting that makes you reconsider the scale of your own ambitions and the lasting meaning of your work.
Even the Marriott Marquis set the tone for the week. Its lobby rose in glass and gold, buzzing with student journalists carrying cameras, notebooks and press badges. The elevators shot through the atrium like flashes with entire levels of the vast hotel dedicated to students’ work, and for a moment while checking in I stood still, taking in the movement and energy around me. By the time the convention settled into its rhythm, the experience became less about the setting and more about the people I shared it with. Most notably was Leah Korenberg, my best friend of ten years and someone whose journalism and digital media journey has run parallel, but unique, to mine with her also receiving a minor in Anthropology. As a Social Media Producer, Writer and Photographer for Tusk Magazine and through her immense work with The Daily Titan during her fourth year at CSUF, Leah arrived in New York with a portfolio shaped by her dedication and need for creation, which set her up for this chance.
“An event like this just demonstrates that the university really cares about advancing our careers and is dedicated to supporting students that are passionate about journalism,”
We spent the week moving through the city together, experiencing something that we could’ve never imagined when we met in seventh grade. From then to now our shared passion drives us and Leah talked about what this trip has meant for both of our growth.
“At the college media conference, there were a lot of networking opportunities that we experienced together, we had the chance to meet journalists from all over the country and I was also able to tour The New York Times,” Leah said.
“I’m really grateful for that opportunity because it gave me insight on how I’m able to advance my journalism career and what steps I need to take to get to where I want to be.”
Colin Costigan, Sports Editor of The Daily Titan and a fourth-year Journalism major, also toured The New York Times and captured the excitement of seeing journalism in the making.
“I really enjoyed my tour of the New York Times,” Colin said. “It was just really cool to see how an actual newsroom operates, It was just on a huge scale.”
For Diana Vilchis, Tusk Magazine’s Senior Editor and Photo Editor and a fourth-year journalism major with a minor in marketing, the standout moment was her visit to the independent non-profit newsroom, ProPublica, a stop I also attended alongside her group.
“I had speakers that talked about social media and photography, which is what I’m doing. So I thought it was very interesting,” Diana said. “You got that Q&A and you just got to talk to them and ask them questions, we had like 30 minutes for each person, so it was just very interesting.”
The staff of Tusk Magazine also got to attend a critique of their recent release. Leah shared how this helped her understand how to perfect her future work.
“The critique of the magazine really helped me understand that a body of work needs to be consistent,” Leah said. “It’s really important that everyone that’s a part of the magazine understands the shared vision, so we’re able to execute a consistent theme.”
I also planned, directed and shot the cover while we were in New York, fitting it in before dinner on our last night with the dean. After the ProPublica tour, we spent the afternoon downtown and stopped to look out at the Statue of Liberty before heading back for the shoot. The group managed to make it to Times Square with our props and coordinated the setup with Dean Jason Shepard and our adviser, Marie Loggia-Kee. The concept behind the cover was something I’d been shaping for months, a single image that brought together multiple forms of communication at once, visually connecting every corner of our college in one frame. Watching the shot finally line up in the middle of the city felt like magic. It was a vision I’d been carrying since before I became ProComm’s Managing Editor and Photo Director.
As the trip came to a close, Leah also touched on how these opportunities gave us a taste of the world we’re building through our hard work.
“Being able to attend the CMA conference with my best friend was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences because we were able to explore New York City together,” Leah said. “We also did a lot of exciting activities including being front row at ‘Death Becomes Her,’ which became our favorite Broadway performance.”
Leaving New York, I felt a shift, not dramatic, but grounding and solidifying. All of these experiences, the critiques, the panels, the newsroom tours, the conversations, the moments of recognition, all invigorated me for the role I stepped into as Managing Editor and Photo Director of the second edition of ProComm Magazine. New York didn’t just show me the future of journalism. It showed me the kind of editor, collaborator and storyteller I want to be as I helped shape this issue and as I move through the world.
Leah Korenberg contributed to this story.
Representing CSUF in New York City
The ProComm cover, Times Square
The cover of ProComm’s second edition, shot on the last night of the trip.
CMA 2026: a diary, on Instagram
A carousel I designed for ProComm Magazine: the trip told as a scrapbook of postcards, tickets and polaroids.
More of the week in New York
