When I found out I got accepted into NPR’s Next Generation Radio, I felt like I had accomplished something. I heard about the program thanks to a good friend of mine Dr. Craig Freeman. Over the past year, he has been helping find opportunities for me to keep growing as a journalist. He told me Next Generation Radio was a good opportunity for me to start getting familiar with what it’s like working as a journalist/reporter.

Even though my knowledge on the Tulsa Race Massacre was extremely limited, I knew this was an opportunity I could not let go. I started doing some research on it and also trying to find someone who had a story to share. That’s when I came across Mr. Sean Thomas, who has been working on a couple of interesting projects about the Tulsa Race Massacre. When I found out what his research was all about, it struck my interest in not just the massacre itself, but also why he is doing all of this. 

I learned a lot of things this week, not just about the Tulsa Race Massacre or how to work on Adobe Audition, but I also learned some things about myself. I am a person who really struggles with getting out of their comfort zone. So, when I find out that I have to work or do something I have never done before, I start questioning myself:  “Am I capable of doing this?”

This week has been a big challenge for me because I had to manage my time between school and the Next Gen project. It was something I did not feel ready to do, but as the week went on I started to realize that I was capable of doing it. We worked on everything at a fast pace, but I was able to handle the work and get things done while staying on top of my classes. So the thing that I learned is that, “Yes, I am capable of doing it.”

Of course, it is also important to have a look at what you do and try to find mistakes that you made or things that you could have done differently. I definitely think there are things that I could’ve done better. My biggest mistake was not giving myself enough time to look into the history behind the massacre before the project started. I think I should’ve looked into the history of Greenwood and the massacre earlier and in order to have a deeper understanding of what I was going to work on. 

Overall, I am proud of what I accomplished and I think this will help me be more confident in myself and my work. This will also push me to do more stuff like this as I enter my senior year of college. 

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