I definitely started to feel the pressure during day 5 and 6 because it was crunch time, near the deadline. I got a taste of what it’s like to live as a full-time journalist. It’s very tiring but I kept my head on tight and stayed optimistic. As an aspiring journalist I realized that organization roles and back-up plans are key. The challenges I faced this week I never thought I’d experienced but it made me realize how much more I wanted to be a Journalist.
We also got to hear the story of Yaw Bonsu and Sarah M. Kazadi, which were my two favorite stories. I loved how deep and genuine their love for journalism is and I appreciated their transparency. They let us know that we aren’t just granted opportunities, we have to be go-getters and find a way for ourselves. My biggest takeaway from Sarah was if you don’t have a way, then create one for yourself if you really want it. She also showed how you can tie in your passions with your journalism career. I appreciated her urge to give back to her community.
Yaw made me understand that it’s OK not knowing everything, just having the mindset of wanting to learn is the best. His quote that he knew he wasn’t the smartest in the room but he knew he can be the hardest working one, inspired me. When I first started Greene week, I can say that I felt worried because I was placed with many people who understood journalism, took journalism classes etc. I knew they were far ahead while I didn’t know anything at all because I only journal for myself. With that being said, I felt like I didn’t have what it takes to be a true journalist and from me thinking like that I dimmed my own light. So Yaw and Sarah definitely were powerful intellectual speakers who taught me to have more confidence in this field or any field I choose in the future.
Now knowing what I know and knowing all I have to do is go out and study, work hard and create my path, I feel great. That’s a beautiful headline within itself and I’m so grateful for all of the information I acquired in these few days. I didn’t know any of it before I stepped into this program and I’m happy that I started to understand certain terms, skills and techniques now rather than later. I hope to expand and experience different fields but what I learned here can, and will, be applied to my everyday life outside of journalism.