‘Your story matters because it’s your “why,”’ keynote speaker tells scholastic journalists

Nearly 300 high school journalists and teachers from around the state heard about why they should major in journalism during the keynote address at the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s Spring Awards ceremony on March 18, 2026, at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

“People may not remember the title of your story, they may not remember your headline or exactly what you said in a post or a podcast, but they will remember how it made them feel. And it's those feelings that inspire change,” said keynote speaker Lauren Patrick, journalist and head of marketing at Infinite Giving.

“Whatever story calls you to tell it, explore it,” Patrick added. “When you get that lightning bolt in your brain or that jab in your heart, get to your phone, get to a notepad, get it on paper, because you have no idea how that story might shift your world…Your generation has been through unprecedented times with everything you're up against, from the pandemic, technology, global socioeconomic change. But I believe in y’all, and I cannot wait to see where your story goes from here.”

Patrick is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. While a student, she worked as a GSPA student assistant and attended the Summer Media Academy program.

More photos from the event are available here.