Dozens of alumni attended the California Scholastic Press Association’s 75th anniversary celebration at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on July 18 to celebrate the workshop’s eight decades of student journalism education.
The event honored the history of the workshop and recognized late and longtime board members for their service.
Workshop chairman emeritus Larry Welborn (’65) and workshop alumnus Bill Rempel (’65) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Counselor Sean Campbell (’24), counselor Sophia Winston (’25), counselor Anika Kapasi (’24), board member Ellie Smith (’13), alumnus Mohi Andrabi (’16), board member Kellen Browning (’15) and counselor Summer Hu (’23) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop alum Jennifer Fisher Golden (’87) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop president and chairman Todd Harmonson (’85) speaks to attendees at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Board member Art Aguilar (’65) is honored by board member Cam Inman (’88) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. 
Board member Art Aguilar (’67) speaks to attendees at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop instructor James Harvey at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Board member and instructor Kellen Browning (’15) speaks to attendees at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop instructor James Harvey celebrates his father, longtime instructor and board member Steve Harvey, with workshop vice president Rich Hammond (’94) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Board members Ellie Smith (’13) and Gwendolyn Wu (’13) speak to attendees at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Board members Laura Nelson (’07), Rich Hammond (’94) and Jessica Davis Smelser (’04) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop student Cian Kelly interviews alumnus Blair Helsing (’71) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
CSPA student Eleanna Swartz of Carlmont High School interviews workshop alumnus David Ferrell at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
CSPA student Magdalena Knettle of Davis High School interviews workshop alumnus Janis Carr (’78) at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. 
Board member Art Aguilar (’67) speaks to student Eleanna Swartz during the anniversary program. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop alumnus Bill Rempel (’65) speaks to workshop student Harlow Hamilton of Davis High School at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Alumnus Zeb Welborn (’98) speaks to a 2026 workshop student at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop students, including Betty Kaldas of Fountain Valley High School, attend CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop alumna Olivia Brandeis (’22) celebrates CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop student Maya McComb and board member and instructor Laura Nelson (’07) celebrate the workshop’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop) 
Workshop alumnus Scott Duke Harris and workshop student Shaan Parikh of the Menlo School at CSPA’s 75th anniversary in San Luis Obispo in July 2026. (Iris Neevel/CSPA Workshop)
Chairman emeritus Larry Welborn led a discussion about the organization’s history and founders, president and chairman Todd Harmonson was inducted into CSPA’s Hall of Fame and vice president Rich Hammond was nominated to be the workshop’s next president.
Attendees at the anniversary event shared fond memories from their time at the workshop and how it helped them in their careers. Students from this year’s workshop, who were wrapping up the first week of classes when the celebration took place, also interviewed older workshop alumni.
Welborn, CSPA’s chairman emeritus and a retired legal affairs reporter for the Orange County Register, attended the workshop in 1965. He met his wife, Annie, at the workshop.
During his talk, Welborn recounted how CSPA began as a boys-only sports journalism workshop in 1951 under the auspices of publishing giant William Randolph Hearst. The publishing baron had sought to have his newspaper, the Los Angeles Examiner, lead the coverage of high school prep sports in Southern California.
Hearst tasked Ralph Alexander, his track-and-field writer for his newspaper, to gather high school boys who could cover sports at their schools and train them at a journalism workshop—which was supposed to be a one time event—at Cal Poly.
The workshop continued under the leadership of Alexander and his wife Millie and began admitting girls in 1965. Now, the workshop trains students not only in sports journalism, but also in breaking news reporting, politics, feature writing, interviewing, public relations, broadcast and other subjects. Students also engage in discussions about journalism ethics and career paths.
Dozens of CSPA graduates have gone on to work in journalism, including as foreign correspondents and at major publications including The New York Times Company, The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, CBS News, the Associated Press, POLITICO, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and POLITICO.
Applications for CSPA’s 2027 summer workshop will open in January.
— Anika Kapasi, CSPA counselor
CSPA Summer Journalism Workshop 