Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist John H. White gave a lecture to cherubs, not just on photojournalism, but on how to view their lives through different lenses.
“Sometimes you discover what you want to be in life, and sometimes it discovers you,” White said.
Program director Roger Boye, who first heard him speak at the Chicago Sun-Times in the 1980s, has invited White to talk nearly every year since.
“It was such a great talk, I said, ‘We need to get him as much as possible,’” Boye said.
Will Hansen of Missoula, Montana, said the lecture was a life-changing experience.
“I didn’t even have a question,” Hansen said. “I just wanted to talk to him. He had a certain aura I wanted to experience personally.”
Desiree Luo of San Francisco returned to the Medill cherub program as a community and academic associate this year. She said White’s lecture stood out among the many offered during the program.
“Seeing cherubs interact with someone who believes in them so wholeheartedly was very touching,” Luo said.
White encouraged students to spread their wings and “keep in flight.”
Eila Arkin of Deerfield, Illinois, approached White because she found his ability to capture a moment fascinating. Wanting to learn more about his photography techniques, Arkin got a response she didn’t know she needed.
She said White told her to put less pressure on herself and take things slow. Arkin was moved to tears.
“I don’t know how he knew that that was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment, but it made me feel understood,” Arkin said.
