Students at Wayne State College have been helping produce the Nebraska FFA’s alumni association magazine, the Blue & Gold Spotlight, since 2020.
The Blue & Gold Spotlight is a magazine created and organized by Nebraska FFA Alumni and Supporters. The Spotlight is released in December every year and mailed to active members of the association. The articles in the magazine focus on exceptional students in FFA across Nebraska, while also giving FFA chapters from all regions of the state a focus.
The 2024 publication marks the fifth year in a row where much of the production and writing for the Blue & Gold Spotlight has been delegated to the journalism students of WSC. Elizabeth Viall, an associate professor of communication arts at WSC and the editor for the Blue & Gold Spotlight, said she felt the arrangement was beneficial for the students as well as the Alumni and Supporters association.
“It’s been, I think, a really good collaboration. A good experience for the writers, as well as the help that I’ve had.” Viall said. “They’re doing something for us, and we’re doing something for them.”
Viall said real-world experience is crucial for journalism students, which is why she has them write for the Blue & Gold Spotlight every year.
“What we get from it is the experience for the students, to be involved in something real,” Viall said. “I think that’s really important.”
Tammie Steinhauer, the chairperson of the Blue & Gold Spotlight, said working with WSC students to put the magazine together has helped the Alumni & Supporters association a lot.
“It’s a big relief for all of us, because nobody else has the time,” Steinhauer said.
Steinhauer said she hoped the journalism students working on the article used the opportunity to write for the Blue & Gold Spotlight as a way to gain professional experience, and that she was consistently impressed with the quality of the articles.
“The articles have all been well-written,” Steinhauer said.
Steinhauer said putting the Spotlight together was much more difficult before the WSC journalism students got involved. She said the Nebraska FFA Alumni & Supporters association struggled to manage finding writers for the articles while also having to sell ads, find contacts to interview for each story and design the layout of the magazine.
“It’s been really nice to have somebody that I can trust to do it, and have well-written articles. Even when we proofread it, there’s very seldom any errors.” Steinhauer said.
