At every event, in every picture taken, there is an invisible man. He goes around and people smile when he passes: he is the cameraman, recording and taking pictures of everyone else. Keenan Penn II is the cameraman on the Fraser Broadcast team, who was one of eighteen students chosen country wide to go to Washington DC for the PBS News Hour All-star (PBSNHA) academy trip.

When Penn found out he was chosen while he was working the camera at his church, Power Hope and Grace Bible Church, which he has done every Sunday for three years.

“I was flipping out chanting ‘yes’ and the sound guy next to me was looking at me like I was crazy, which I kinda was at the time,” Penn said.

From June 28 to July 1, Penn will learn from PBS mentors and other students, enhance his knowledge of the camera and broadcast; he will also be visiting the white house, which he will need clearance for.

“He’s had a great start to his first year and is already going to Washington to get honored,” said senior Joe Pokorney. “I think he’s going somewhere.”

In Washington, Penn and the other seventeen students will work alongside other broadcasters and learn plethora of tidbits and concepts, which Penn said he was looking forward to most.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about broadcast and learning new ways to get more of the story,” Penn said. “And to meeting everyone, especially the other broadcasters from Michigan. Their applications were impressive.”

Since he was seven, Penn had made picture slideshows with music that he called memory slideshows. It was his early form of editing, which he has done more of as a member of the Broadcast team.

The first day of school when Mr. Flanagan ran the first announcements and asked if anyone was interested to come down, Penn went to room 1800 and has been going there coming every morning at seven to help film the days announcements.

“He’s really interested in the broadcast and learning more,” said Broadcast Advisor Mr. Flanagan. “He’s super dedicated and he’s been here every morning, working diligently.”

From the start of the year until now, Penn learned how to operate a camera and edit the film. He’s come a long way and has three more years to go.

“When I’m surrounded by cameras I feel like I’m in my element,” Penn said. “My favorite film project was the Bernstein interview: the feel of the atmosphere, seeing how a professional interview is set up, meeting a supreme court member. It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve been a part of.”

With three more years left, Penn is bound to be involved in several more interviews and projects to film behind the scenes, and possibly in front of the camera.