My press pass & reporter's notebook

Let me tell you, I've already had some incredible experiences as a journalist. Not only have the experiences themselves been great, but I have been thanked by the sources in these news stories for bringing awareness to the situation I was reporting. I have felt very welcomed by the people I meet for stories. Simply wearing my "press pass" and stating that I am a journalist, opens so many doors that I wouldn't open otherwise. Growing up, I moved around a lot. I was a very shy person. In some ways, I still am. The hardest part of meeting new people is the very beginning, the very first impression of introducing yourself. I dislike small talk and I love deep conversations. Thoughts overwhelm my brain on a regular basis. If I seem like I am being quiet, my brain is most likely loud. For me to say that I am thinking about nothing is a rarity in itself. The reason I know journalism is for me is because it skips the "small talk" and goes straight into the questions you may be scared to ask in a regular conversation with a stranger. If you work in the field of journalism, it is best to be a curious person who is passionate about the world living to its fullest potential. Think about it. If media wasn't a thing, how would you know about anything happening on a world-wide scale? Planet Earth is enormous and we are very small. When I am reporting, I feel big. I feel as though I am holding a secret that has the power to change the world by affecting people's knowledge of it.

The Channels Newsroom (where all the magic happens)

As a journalist, you get to explore the world and inform everyone of your explorations. At events, you will sometimes get what I like to call the "special treatment", "front row seat", or an "inside look." The people who host the events want you to have this sort of experience in order to develop a correct, telling story. A lot of times, they also do this as a form of thanking you for being there. You get treated as a reporter, but at the same time are treated as a regular person attending the event.

The other cool thing about reporting is that you get to meet people that you wouldn't have met otherwise.

Here are some of my experiences as a reporter so far...


Dressing up for the profession

-There was an event that I didn't have to report for class, but I covered it anyway due to the source eagerly wanting me to cover it. After we spoke, I felt as though it was my duty to cover it because my passion for the topic was so strong that I felt like people need to know about it in order for the topic to make positive difference in the world.
- For that same event, I took over being the photojournalist because there were none available to attend. In this particular news article, my name is listed as the writer and under the photograph.
- Exceptionally deep conversations have taken place. For instance, during an interview, a person I was speaking with started crying due to their passion over the topic we were discussing. I've had people telling me their personal connections to suicide. People open up to me because they feel as though I actually care and am truly listening. And you know what? They are right.


That would be me!

- I have met and interviewed the Mayor of Santa Barbara. I am sure as my career goes on, I will continue to meet and interview people who have big impacts on society.
- There was a spot reserved for me specifically at an event.
- I don't have to register/buy tickets even though I am getting nearly the same experience as someone who is registered.
- Gifts have been given to me. At the suicide prevention walk I was able to pick out Mardi Gras beads to represent the connections I have to suicide. They told me I could participate in the walk. At both the nursing and the suicide awareness event, I have been told to help myself to their free food that they have for their guests/participants. During the nursing event, they handed me a drawstring bag containing a traveling coffee cup and journal even though I insisted that I was just here to report the event.

Newsroom meeting table

I HAVE to talk about the newsroom. The Channels has a newsroom where the staff members can meet to discuss anything. This is also a place where you can work on anything regarding reporting, writing, and photographing. The publishing of news stories goes down here. As a journalist, the newsroom is the one place you can say "this is where my job is" because technically your job is all over the city in which you cover stories for. This may not seem as cool to you as it is to me, but this place makes me feel like I am an actual journalists, not just a student who is learning about becoming one. This place and this class gives you the hands-on experience of being a journalist. Forget about learning what you are going to become, become who you want to be!

Checkout my news stories I have had published so far!