Over the past week, the program at NextGenRadio has pushed me to new leaps and bounds. Coming into this, I had little background in reporting and being in the media. I was weary of my performance in the program and I felt like an imposter sneaking in. Thankfully, when I was selected, I was welcomed with open arms and showed me a new world.
I wanted to work hard for this. I was told I would have to work hard for this and I believe that I have. I wanted this. But what I could not have predicted, was the community of editors, mentors, engineers, and illustrators that helped and guided me along the way. The amount of teamwork that it takes to create a piece is not only shocking to me, but also inspirational, as well.
I believed that reporters were on their own; they had natural born instincts that, for a long time, I thought those super powers were out of reach to me. So, the big thing that this week showed me was that I was wrong.
Through my mentor, Richard, I learned the art of storytelling and nailing down the right questions. From my editors Traci and Heather, I learned the need to fix and improve even the smallest bits of details, like “um” cutting. Engineers, like Selena, helped me figure out room tone and how to put ambient noise at the exact right moment.
I learned a lot of things that I can’t wait to use next week and the week after that. In a world of uncertainty, it’s sometimes hard to know what it feels like to be on the right path, but this program has given me that certainty. And I will be forever thankful for that.
