Creating Willie’s story while working with a team of such intelligent, professional individuals has been extremely eye-opening. There were moments I felt overwhelmed, reassured, slightly confident, then overwhelmed again. However, experiencing what it’s like to work in a team environment geared toward all things journalism was amazing. I think because of this, I know how to carry myself better with a team of people. 

One thing I learned is to be a sponge and take a deep breath. I can be so particular about the way I do things in the field. However, Sam taught me it’s OK if things don’t always go as planned. For example, when I forgot my extra battery and had to shoot the last few pictures of Willie with my phone, I felt like it was the end of the world, but it wasn’t. If anything, it makes more sense to take that moment and learn a lesson from it.

In addition to this, I have learned so many new things from my mentor and the team we were given. Sam also taught me about perspective and how to take photos, among other things. Erika improved my writing and layout skills, and reminded me what reassurance and support felt like on a team. Selena gave me so many nuggets of wisdom that have to do with Adobe Audition and comfortability when editing. Reminding myself to be a sponge and soak up knowledge from those on the team will change the way I carry myself throughout the rest of my career.

One thing I wish I did differently was how I decided to be mindful. Sam had to remind me when to take a deep breath when I felt overwhelmed or agitated with my mistakes. Rising to the occasion is something I aim to do during situations like this week where I was in new territory with new people. However, rising to the occasion can mean putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform and prepare well. I wish I could’ve relaxed a bit more in the field, and quickly turn mistakes into a lesson without needing reassurance. (I have to thank Erika and Sam for this. They really helped me understand there’s room for improvement). 

One thing I’ll start doing on Monday is editing my resume to put Adobe Audition under skills. I feel like I learned so much in a matter of days about Audition, and now I really want to use it more often. I’m so excited to have gained the basics of this software. Learning all of the shortcuts and tricks to edit audio was absolutely amazing. I want to go back and edit other non-narrated pieces I’ve done simply because I’ve been taught how to make the audio flow naturally.

Next week, I also refuse to do anything else without finding shortcuts, thanks to Selena. She is a wizard, and I really enjoyed just sitting and watching her work her magic while learning things I’ve never seen/heard of before.

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