By Gavin Leonard

Students in the 2026 Urban Journalism Workshop (UJW) cohort took a trip down to Ashburn, Virginia, on April 18th to tour The Washington Commanders’ broadcast studio and gain rare, behind-the-scenes access into sports media careers.

This field trip expanded beyond the workshop’s usual focus, especially after many students expressed interest in sports journalism during its first week. UJW Co-coordinators Phil Lewis and Denise Douglass organized the visit, an opportunity that past cohorts did not have. The UJW program primarily focuses on political journalism and has previously done trips to the White House along with several local and national news stations.

When students arrived at the BigBear.ai Performance Center, Kayla Key, an award-winning video editor and technical director of the Washington Commanders’ Studio and Broadcast Production team, greeted them. Key led the group through the facility and into their production space, where the team’s logo was seen on every piece of furniture. At the front of the room were four chairs, five helmets sitting on a table, and a wall behind that read the words “Raise Hail.”

Students weren’t just intrigued by what they saw in the facility but also by what they heard. Once they walked in and sat down, they heard from Key and Kelsey Nicole, a freelance sports journalist, who spoke about their journey into their careers, challenges along the way, and advice for the future.

“What stood out to me was the transparency of both speakers, how they were willing to answer all our questions, and really offer positive insight into being a minority in a male-dominated industry,” UJW Student Autumn said.

She left the tour with a new level of confidence in her ability to work in sports media.

“Being able to actually talk to people who are in the industry, and being able to gain perspective, really opened my eyes and made me think I could really do this,” Autumn said.

Having a passion for sports wasn’t a prerequisite to enjoying the tour, as UJW Student Ruth Espinoza was interested in the inner workings of The Commanders’ sports productions.

“[The tour] definitely exceeded my expectations, both in the environment and the people,” she said. “They had worked not only in sports journalism but in other aspects of journalism…they worked with all these different types of people and in different areas, and that surprised me.”

That’s exactly what Key hoped the students would learn. She told the students that she didn’t tour any newsrooms or production sets until college and graduate school. It wasn’t until then that she knew her goals were achievable.

“I think that if you can see it, you can become it and you can be it,” Key said.

Key understood that the commitment to studying journalism is a tough decision, so she tried to provide as much insight as possible.

“It was the coolest feeling, honestly; it was a bit surreal,” she said. Key was excited to lead the tour, but felt a sense of responsibility to make sure it was a good experience for the students. She told them: “I felt proud; I felt a sense of pride because I remember being in your shoes and dreaming about what this could be.”

The group made a good first impression on Key, who was amazed by their attentiveness and punctuality and could tell the kids were passionate.  “I don’t know if there were any dull moments in the two hours that we spent,” she said.

“I thought to myself, the kids are gonna be alright; I’m excited for you guys,” Key said.