RSS 2.0 FeedFebruary 17, 2011, Bellmore Life
A former L&M intern recalls a special summer
A former intern looks back at the opportunity afforded her by the NYPA program.
My high school career was filled with rigorous courses – college-level calculus, advanced placement U.S. history and honors physics, just to name a few.
While planning out my schedule for the second half of junior year, I had room to choose one elective.
Already stressed with my course load, SAT prep and researching colleges, I decided to take a journalism class as my elective, partly because I thought I was a fairly good writer, but mostly because, to be honest, I thought it would be an easy class.
In this class, we were given free rein to write about almost anything. Some of my classmates used the allotted research time in the computer lab as a free period to surf the web or talk to friends.
I, however, was motivated to write, largely because when I was an underclassman, my older sister had written a few articles for the school paper. Playing the familiar role of the little sister, I was eager to have something of my own published.
I used class time to decide which topics interested me, conduct research online and ask my teacher questions.
When the school paper finally came out, I hunted down a copy and eagerly flipped through the pages.
And there it was. My story. My byline.
I don’t remember what page my article was on or what I even wrote about, but I remember the feeling when I saw it and when I heard fellow classmates discussing the paper. It was a feeling that changed the course of my life.
The “easy class” that I had signed up for made me realize my love for writing. During the rest of my high school career, I took as many writing courses as I could, and planned to be a mass communications/journalism major in college.
When it came time to choose a college, I decided that Iona College in New Rochelle was the perfect fit. It was one of the few schools in New York with an accredited journalism program.
During my freshman and sophomore years I was able to skip some core classes, as I had acquired many college credits during high school, and began taking journalism and mass communication classes. I had experienced professors, including one who wrote for The New York Times for 20 years.
I learned about how to hone an exciting lead, the formalities of conducting an interview, the rules of grammar, and the law and ethics of mass communications.
I also wrote for the college newspaper and declared a double major in English. Despite everything I was learning, I still craved hands-on experience in the field of journalism.
Towards the end of my sophomore year, my mom showed me an article in The Wantagh-Seaford Citizen advertising an eight-week paid summer internship working at your local newspaper, sponsored by the New York Press Association (NYPA).
The application for the internship included a cover letter, three letters of recommendation and four writing samples – and I only had about one week until the deadline to gather these requirements.
Even though the internship seemed very competitive, I decided it was worth a shot. I frantically went about Iona, photocopying writing samples from articles I had written for the college paper, asking career development for help writing a cover letter and tracking down professors to write recommendations.
I managed to collect everything I needed the day before deadline, and my mom actually picked it up from Iona and hand delivered it to L & M Publications offices in Merrick so it would arrive in time for the early March deadline.
Weeks went by, and with no word about the internship. and my doubts increasing steadily, I thought it best to start looking for other summer work opportunities.
Then, one evening at the very end of March, before heading to dance team practice, I quickly checked my e-mail. My heart skipped a beat. There in my inbox was an e-mail from the NYPA.
I clicked open the e-mail, which informed me I had been awarded one of 13 paid summer internships throughout New York and would be working at my local paper for eight weeks.
I was ecstatic, especially remembering the previous summer’s tight student job market, but also a little apprehensive as I waited for my June 1 starting date to approach.
“What do I wear? What will I be doing? Will my co-workers be nice to me, or will I be treated as the lowly intern?” were all thoughts that plagued me.
And now, as the internship ends, it seems comical that I was worried at all.
From day one, I was treated with nothing but respect from every person working for L&M Publications. Many took the time to help me navigate the computers, brainstorm interview questions and catch me up on the publication’s specific proofreading techniques. Thanks to the patience and generosity of the L&M Publications staff, I learned something new every day.
I was even trusted to go out on my own or conduct phone interviews, to report on events and then write my own articles for all four L&M Publications newspapers.
By my second week on the job, I had my first-ever front-page story, on the cover of Merrick Life, accompanied by pictures I had taken myself.
In the span of eight weeks, I wrote articles about the Long Island International Film Expo, veterans’ awards ceremonies, high school sports, films shooting in the area, food pantries, graduation ceremonies, new books, street resurfacings, special education classes, anti-bullying seminars, car shows, local homes switching over to solar power, personal advice to college freshman and various local contests including Father of the Year, culminating in four front-page stories.
I also got to meet local elected officials, including Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, county Legislator Dave Denenberg, state Assemblyman Dave McDonough and town Councilwoman Angie Cullin.
One lesson I’ve learned about the business is that there is a deadline every day, so it is vital to remain organized and motivated.
I’ve also learned that you will encounter all types of people – some who will talk your ear off, some that will give a one-word response – but no matter what, your job is to find out the facts and report the story.
I’ve also learned what goes into putting a paper together and the hours of proofreading that are required to perfect each story. Teamwork is definitely important, in that the more eyes reading a story the better.
Even after my eight weeks were complete, I volunteered at L&M Publications a couple of days a week for the rest of the summer.
I highly recommend that college, and even high school students, pursue an internship in a field they think they are interested in. It will give you invaluable experience if you choose to pursue a career in that field, but also prevent you from wasting your time in the future if you realize it is not the area for you.
The hands-on experience I gained last summer will help me astronomically in my classes at Iona, and at future jobs. It has also solidified my belief that I want to continue in the field of journalism.
I want to thank my parents, Thomas and Joanne Urban, for supporting me in everything I set out to accomplish over the past two decades. Without them, I would not be where I am today.
A special thanks to L&M Publications for giving me the opportunity to make my dreams come true.
And also for never making me fetch one cup of coffee.
This article is reprinted from the August 18 Bellmore Life Back to School issue as a reminder to college journalism students of this internship opportunity.
