I have just completed my summer internship at the Pacific Publishing company newspaper under Vera Chan-Pool as Editor, and for the Queen Anne Magnolia News with Myke Folger as Editor.
I wrote 28 stories this summer, and two blog entries for the papers online Web sites. I am so ridiculously excited to have a portfolio of stories after only having decided on Journalism as a career last fall. Each story was a unique experience in itself.
I love meeting people, and learning new things. I also love Seattle as a city, having grown up here, and being able to see what is going on in its little corners was very exciting. My two favorite stories I worked on was about a woodpecker problem in Seattle, and the other about a Seattle Jazz Legends Concert.
I also covered local events including the Queen Anne Fun Run, parade and picnic. What I loved the most about these stories is how nice and helpful all of the people were that I spoke with and got to know along the way. Every one has just been so kind this summer, which alone was really wonderful to see on a daily basis.
I did so many interviews this summer, which gave me two major skills. One the ability to cultivate how to talk to people in a manner that benefits both parties, and how to ask the right questions.
I figured out after a while that you have to be on the phone, or speaking with some one in person for a good 40 minutes before you get the majority of the information you need, and this is around the time most people really start to feel comfortable with you.
I also learned how to do efficient phone interviews, as this was the bulk of my interviewing experience, which I had never done before. I learned how to take photos for articles when covering events, such as a story I did on Euphoric dance, a free-style dance group that is going to start meeting regularly on Queen Anne, when I sat in with the group one night for a story.
For the writing aspect of the internship, I am excited I discovered an efficient way to write up my articles, by going through and typing up the important parts in the interviews I took notes on word for word. I also got some help from Myke, who tried to explain the best way to be more efficient with the information you have while writing the articles, which I am still working on.
I also enjoyed the weekly meetings Myke and Vera had with me and the other interns. They are both very warm, friendly people. It was fun to get to know them a little bit and work for them this summer. I am so excited I have this under my belt now. I am looking forward to returning to school with the new skills I have learned.[[In-content Ad]]
