As a teenager, you never think you will get the opportunity to work in the field in which you want to spend the rest of your life.
Thankfully, I have had that chance.
In the beginning of October, I started my first placement at the Now-Leader as part of my Work Experience Program at Kwantlen Park Secondary.
Now, as an aspiring young journalist, this is a dream come true. I get to learn from and work beside some of the best writers in the business. There was nothing more that I could ask for.
Coming into my first day, I had no idea what to expect. I had met some of the other journalists when I came in for my first meeting and they were really nice, but I did not know how they felt about bringing a “rookie” on to their team. The last thing I wanted was for them to be thinking, “man, when is this little runt going to get out of here?”
It was the complete opposite. Everybody was so kind. I soon realized that I had nothing to worry about because everybody around here treated each other like family.
I remember on my second day on the job, I was presented with the opportunity to shoot and edit some video going through Potters House Of Horrors. For anybody else this would have been another day at work, but for me, this was my first assignment and it meant everything to me.
I remember getting a call the night before asking if I would do the video and I had an smile from ear to ear. There has definitely been a lot more of those smiles within the two months that I have had here.
Walking into this, I never would have thought that I would be completing these two placements with five videos and articles on the website, three of which were published in print – with one being on the front page! Check it out!
It truly is hard to believe.
I could not have done this without the help of everybody else around me. Thank you Tom Zillich, for bringing me along on my first assignment, Thank you Amy Reid, for believing in me to write a front-page article, Thank you Tom Zytaruk, for the every day knowledge. Thank you Trevor Beggs, for saving me from the terrible rain. Thank you Sarah Sigurdson, for making every day filled with laughter.
And most importantly, thank you Beau Simpson, for giving this aspiring journalist the opportunity to live out her dreams for the past two months.
edit@surreynowleader.com
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