PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – It has officially been eight weeks since I started my digital internship here at WAVY TV 10 and I have been loving every minute of it! Though I went into this expecting to learn a lot about journalism, I was not at all prepared for every other lesson that has come my way.
I am currently a senior at Regent University, majoring in communication with a focus in journalism. In high school, I wrote for my school’s magazine, and for a brief time in college, I wrote for Regent’s student led newspaper, The Daily Runner. I am no stranger to writing, but these past few weeks have taken my experiences to a whole new level!
I am currently interning under Jane Alvarez-Wertz, the Managing Editor of Digital Content. I cannot stress enough how helpful Jane has been in helping me learn the rhythm and style of journalistic writing. While I am taking classes in journalism, writing fake articles for grading is entirely different than writing an actual article that will be published, and I am grateful for Jane’s ability to help me differentiate the two.
During my time at WAVY, I have learned how to pull stories from the most unlikely sources, how to hunt down information, and the best way to present what I have found. Surprisingly enough, I have also become efficient in the art of writing a work email. I truly underestimated how important an email is.
There have been a lot of surprises during my time at WAVY, actually. The environment and the people have all exceeded my expectations. I know it’s a bit cliché to say that everyone is “like a family,” but this is perhaps one of the friendliest environments I have worked. I try to shadow as many departments as I can, and whenever I have, every person I interacted with made me feel so welcomed.
When I shadowed the Hampton Roads Show last Thursday, Kenisha Stringfield gave me a hands on experience in learning the equipment and the flow of filming the show. When I shadowed the 4 o’clock newscast in February, Regina Mobley took the time to explain to me how she prepares for each show, and how she memorizes her scripts for the fast paced newscast. That’s just the kind of environment WAVY is, which is amazing not only from a learning perspective but from a working one as well.
I am also grateful for the other people in my workstation. Jasmine Singletary, Sarah Goode, Courtney Ingalls, Julius Ayo, Brian Reese, and Jimmy LaRoue have all been essential to my time as an intern. Though all established writers, they are relatively closer in age to myself, which makes approaching them for advice and guidance that much easier. Plus, it gives me hope for the future and what I may be able to make of myself after graduation. If they can make great strides and become essential members of a team at such a young age, why can’t I? After all, it’s not about what you do, but how you do it.
Another surprising lesson I have learned during my time (so far) at WAVY is how willing I am to keep going. I always knew that I was “stubborn” but what I’ve learned recently is that stubbornness is actually perseverance. I persevere, even when others say I shouldn’t. There were times early on when I felt like I was way in over my head, but I stood my ground and kept going, and now I feel confident in saying that I made the right decision. I am exactly where I need to be.
I have about eight more weeks left as an intern, and I cannot wait to see what else this experience has to offer! I’ve learned so much already, and I am ready for more!
