Alumni – ThirtySomething Shenanigans

This week is my last week as a HOMTV rookie reporter.

It’s crazy to think I began this journey back in January and it is now May. When I first started I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but, as time went on, I gained a better understanding based on my own personal experience and through the advice of advanced interns.

While I came in to this internship with some previous newsroom experience, which was helpful, I learned even more throughout my time at HOMTV. I believe the hands-on experience at HOMTV is unparalleled to any other internship in the area.

youthacademy

As I think back to my first day of orientation and meeting the then other 11 interns, I wondered what my relationship with them would be like by the end of the semester. The advanced interns from the fall 2015 semester came to talk to us that night and one shared how our fellow interns would become like family since we would be spending so much time together. At the time I wasn’t sure if I fully believed it, but now, I can say with certainty I do.

While we had some interns leave prior to now, I am so thankful to have met each and every one of them. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to share this experience with this semester. And so I want to give a huge thanks overall to the 11 other interns I started out with, and a special thanks individually to the 5 interns that remain.

Maya: It has been such a pleasure to meet you this semester. You are an extremely hard-working individual, and I truly believe you will go on to do great things in the TV news/sports industry. You have great potential. I thank you, too, for always helping not only me out, but others as well, when needed.

Treasure: Where do I begin? You are one of the funniest and kindest people I’ve had the pleasure to meet this semester. I see great potential in you and believe you too will go far in life. Thank you for always making me laugh and keeping my sanity in check when I at times thought I was losing it.

Brittany: You are such a helpful and kind person. You have been a coworker who is always willing to help others when they need it, and providing laughs as well. You are a hard-working, determined woman who I believe will go far in life as well. You have great potential–not just based on the stories you’ve covered (and kicked ass at), but, but being a great co-worker and team player as well.

Bri: You are someone I see with a bright future ahead of you. It’s been awesome to have experienced this internship with you, and I thank you for always helping me out specifically when it comes to tear down or set up of meetings–like with the cable cords. LOL. But really, you have been a great person to work with over this semester.

Alexis: It has been so great to work alongside you this semester. I feel we connected so well because of our background and interest in print. It has been a pleasure to have met you, and thank you for being such a great co-worker and friend and the many laughs this semester.

While I am eager and excited to see what the future holds for me post-HOMTV, I am sad to be saying goodbye to my fellow rookie interns. Like I said, I wasn’t sure if I would make that close of a bond with them like the advanced interns had talked about but, I did, which is what makes me sad about leaving.

I couldn’t have asked for better people to do this internship with and I thank them all, both the current 5 left and former ones, for making this an experience I won’t forget.

Of course, before ending this post, I must give thanks to the staff at HOMTV as well, for giving me and the other interns the opportunity to do this internship. I have learned so much during my time at HOMTV and it wouldn’t be without the knowledge and training bestowed upon us from everyone there. THANK YOU.

And, of course, a special thank you to our internship coordinator, Brandie, for being so helpful and always pushing us to do our best and help us see our true potential.

So, here’s to my last week and enjoying these next few days before I become an official HOMTV alumni.

Until next time..

XO,

Ana

I have officially completed my third week of my internship at HOMTV.

Yesterday we had an alumni training workshop where former alumni members Alexandra Illitch and Local 4 WDIV‘s John Pompeo gave us tips and advice about the news industry.

I learned a lot from both of them and I left the workshop feeling even more eager and motivated to do well not just at this internship, but at any other future news job. I am so passionate about this industry and I can’t wait to see where my future takes me.

homtvalumniWS — HOMTV alumni workshop. #HOMTV #Local4WDIV #WLNS

Ali told us about how the news industry isn’t a 9 to 5 job and if that’s the type of job we’re looking for then this isn’t the industry for us. She also talked about the many misconceptions people have about the news industry and what jobs in the field entail. People think it’s all glam, being on TV and what not, but it’s much more than that.

I’ll admit, when I first graduated and even every now and then, I think how wonderful it would be to have a Monday-Friday 9 to 5 job. My best friends have that kind of schedule and I always imagine how nice that would be. But, as I’ve learned, I am very much passionate about the news industry and accepted that that is a sacrifice I have to make to have a job in the field. It will never be 9 to 5, and as Ali explained, some days reporters work up to 12 hours. And as she mentioned, and I knew–the news never sleeps.

While she said it’s a lot of work, she also said how truly great it is to be a reporter. Her passion showed when she talked to us and it made me hopeful that one day I can be in her shoes talking to rookie and junior interns expressing my passion for the field.

Not only did Ali share her passion, tips and advice to us interns, John Pompeo did as well. He’s been in the industry for over thirty years and he said he’s still doing it because he LOVES it. It was inspiring to see someone still so passionate about the industry this many years later.

He showed us his work he did and through it I learned so much. The way different he shoots stories made me excited to incorporate those ways into how I share my stories. I found the way he finds his stories to be unique, and how he doesn’t necessarily have to be the one telling the story through a voice track, but to have a main “character” in the story and having him or her tell it.

Something I also found interesting that he said was that

“Everyone is a story teller.”
– John Pompeo

While I came into this internship with previous newsroom experience, others did not, and I thought how this really hit the nail on the head for not just me but especially for the others. I never gave that idea much thought before but, with the right tips and creativity and thought process, I realized how right he was.

Like I mentioned above, I can’t wait to take the tips both he and Ali shared with us and apply it to my future stories both at HOMTV and other future jobs. During the workshop I was already thinking of possible different stories I could cover this semester and what angle I would take with each one using these different tips.

Why I also enjoyed him saying this is because I believe everyone has a story to share.

That’s a huge reason I want to be a journalist, a reporter, is because I want to be able to give a voice to people–especially those who might not otherwise have one. Also, a tad off topic, but the name of my blog–“Coffee and Curiosity” is titled that because a) I love coffee (who doesn’t?) and b) because I am a curious person. I am always eager to learn more about people. Which, ironically, although I love learning about people, I will be the first admit that I am extremely shy outside of my reporter self when it comes to getting to know people. But anyway…

I love learning about people’s experiences. I believe everyone has a unique story to share and as a reporter, I long to discover what it is. And as it is now officially Monday, I start off a new week, working on my first assignments for HOMTV and while brainstorming what angle I want to take for my stories, I’ll be keeping in mind the tips Ali and John gave us. 🙂

Until next time…

XO,

Ana

Tag: Alumni

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Everyone is a storyteller…