Today was the first day of my internship, also known as my entry into the real world of journalism.
This summer I’ll be an intern at the Hendersonville Lightning, a small-town newspaper that focuses on local news.
It’s easy to say that I was nervous. So far in my career I’ve only written for professors and I’ve had the opportunity to bounce idea’s off of them. Going from the somewhat sheltered world of scholastic journalism to writing for a real newspaper is intimidating. I admit, I did give myself a small pep talk before walking into the building.
As soon as I walked through the door of the office I felt at home. Editor and owner of the paper, Bill Moss, greeted me with a warm smile and was genuinely excited for me to join his team of journalists. I also met Denise, who’s official title is design director, but she really does a little bit of everything.
After a short tour of the office, Bill took me to meet some of the local government employees I’d likely be talking to all summer. It was nice getting to meet them and having the opportunity to casually talk before I had to start interviewing them for articles.
Overall, I’m much more relaxed about entering the real world of journalism after my first day as a Hendersonville Lightning intern. Everyone at the office is helpful and encouraging plus all the sources I met today were also nice.
This weekend I’ll put my education to use as I write my first three articles for the Lightning: an overview of one of the towns in Henderson County’s budget, a profile about a middle school band director who is retiring and a profile of a festival happening this weekend. Wish me luck!
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