KatieAtlas

I’m kind of stunned that my internship is, more or less, over. Tuesday is my last day. The editors are taking me out to lunch.

Here are some of the best parts about having interned at The Sun.

• Most obviously, I got to experience first hand what it is like to work in a newsroom. I had a desk and a phone and assignments. I listened to the police scanner buzz and shout all day. I learned how to actually write an article. I met some very cool people. I met some really weird people too. But I couldn’t have learned what I did from any school newspaper or guessing game.
• I loved that no one set my schedule. No one told me and the other cattle to move to our next class at exactly 8:25 or to eat lunch fourth or to be somewhere. I could come and go as I pleased. I took lunch when I was hungry, and in fact, I had an hour to do so. That’s a big step up from twenty-ish hurried minutes of combined social interaction and stuffing my face. (Sorry, WA.) It was the Katie Show, and I was the director, producer, and owner of the station. It was my own game. It was actually a pretty strange experience at first, not to mention. I was almost waiting around for someone to tell me, “Go eat now” and “You can leave.”
• I was with ADULTS. I didn’t have to schlep around with kids and moochers and complainers. There was a lot less bullshit. Now granted, I didn’t get to see the entire works of that factory, but being older, nonetheless, is a whole new game with a new set of rules. I felt a lot more at home in the newsroom with people that, for the most part, could be my parents, than I did in the cafeteria at WA or in my gym class or whatever. Strange, maybe, but still one of the reasons why I loved The Sun.
• Having one class meant I could actually focus on that class. Now, I didn’t always do all the assignments and whatnot, but when it came down to studying for my AP test, I really put my all into it. Anddd I really liked being able to sneak out for an hour or so from work once in a while. It was a healthy break, plus I got to see some people I know and like to hang out with. Psych was the best class of the year, so finishing it out wasn’t too much of a heart breaker.
• Some of my assignments were… less than thrilling. But some were fantastic! I loved going to the Hellenic American Academy the other day. Vivian Panagakis, I love you! You are such a sincere person, and you made me feel so welcome! And Greek!! Doug Anderson, the school principal, took the time to show me the entire school and introduce me to most of the kids. It was great. And, that story made it on the front page!! It stood out as one of the times that I was really happy to be out and about, interviewing kids, seeing what goes on, and learning a bit about the community that I had never been exposed to before.
• Also, seeing my name, and more importantly, my work in print. Well, that’s pretty cool.
• The kind letters I have received in return from some people have also been so wonderful and rewarding. Like when I covered a couple choruses in Lowell. Frank Sullivan, he sent me these e-mails that were so kind and so genuine and made me feel so good. These emails made my day. Here’s one from Frank:

You did another great job on the Spindle City Singers article. There were several people from the group including Normand Ayotte who were very please with the write-up in the Lowell Sun. Don’t give up on a career in journalism. You need to investigate other opportunities where you can utilize your written communication skills. Good luck on your next important step in life and that is college where you will meet new people with a different background and experience.

• As much as I worked, I also had equal time to just relax. I think Guidance, when they were setting up the internship program, was hoping that as much as they want us to learn, they want us to have time to just chill out. I had some down time at work. I did my fair share of stumbling-upon and reading blogs. I listened to music. I browsed the mall from my computer.

I doubt I will be able to find a job that is quite as fulfilling as The Sun, but maybe that will give me some time to chill at the lake, read a lot, and work on my tan. Who knows, but The Sun set some pretty high standards. No complaints there.

Cheers,

Katie