When I decided to become a journalist, I never thought it would be everything I dreamed of, and everything that I feared as well.
Journalism—storytelling that is—has so much power. It has the power of human connection, which was something I've had to work at, something I've had to overcome. Talking with people wasn't my strong suit as a child. I was shy and self-conscious and networking wasn't something I wanted to jump toward at the sight of its opportunity. Another thing I've had to learn to overcome is dressing up. I know how silly that sounds. Why would looking nice, professional and presentable be difficult? It turns out, I'm not a natural-born fashionista or makeup artist, so instinctively I look to jeans and a sweatshirt to suffice as "fashion."
What I love about journalism is that it has taught me to step out of my comfort zone. It's opened my eyes to so much possibility, so many answers, so many lives, so many interesting stories. I've been able to do investigative journalism, feature stories, news, and sports reporting and even write for Odyssey.
As I explained in my first article, journalism scares me. In a good way, of course. It pushes me every day to be my best, to work my hardest, to find interesting angles in a story, to introduce myself and talk with people I have never met. I can't get enough of it. Every day I wake up and get to study journalism and actively cover stories, and I always feel like I'm in heaven. I'm living my dream. It's a rush, an adrenaline rush every day because I'm on a tight deadline, I have 100 things to do and I have to make sure it all looks right and sounds okay. And then when I'm finished and submit my work, it's a breath of fresh air. I'll look back at it all and realize what a crazy ride I just encountered and I'll be so grateful for it. It's like riding a roller coaster. I get on, I'm nervous. They buckle me in and put the large restraint over me, making sure I'm safe and secure. And then they blast me out there, sky high, I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, the wind is bursting through my hair. I'm scared because of the intensity of the ride, but I'm also laughing and enjoying it too. Once the ride stops I take a deep breath and think, "Wow. How cool! That was exhilarating! Let's do it again!" That's exactly what journalism is like to me. I want that adrenaline rush over and over again because it's what I thrive in, it's what keeps me going.
Journalism is everything I thought it would be and so much more. I never delved into how many different types of journalism there are, how many ways you can tell stories—whether that be via photographs, videos, podcasts, radio, magazines, print newspaper…etc. Journalism caters to so many types of personalities and walks of life. Everyone has a story and we're here to tell as many of them as we can.
On another note, with journalism comes so much responsibility. You have to gain people's trust, to be sincere, to be truthful, and to do your job for your audience with their best interests in mind. It's a lot of responsibility and sometimes it's terrifying. With our current political climate especially, there is so much talk of "fake-news," of journalists overstepping their grounds, and of people pointing fingers if you simply forget a period at the end of a sentence in your story. I've thought about whether those who follow the media are unforgiving in the mistakes you make in journalism and how much push-back there is. But in a way, we're expected to be precise, to know our facts, to know what we're talking about. There's no room for mistakes. Just as doctors have no room for mistakes, we too, as journalists have to be precise. How wonderful, yet daunting.
Although, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm living my dream and I hope you are too.
