As graduation is just around the corner, I want to reflect on the whirlwind this year has been. This year has been a lesson in resilience and flexibility. Stories can change in a heartbeat and the ability to pivot and adapt is crucial. There have been moments of frustration, when things didn’t go as planned or when the puzzle pieces of a story didn’t fit together. There has been immense satisfaction as well, in those breakthrough moments when everything fits into place and you know you’ve nailed it.

As I look back on my time, from when I started my first year of college in 2021 to study journalism to now, it was definitely a rollercoaster of events. Coming into the Broadcast Journalism program, I had no idea what was in store for me. As a young girl, I always wanted to be on camera and grow my passion for writing and talking. I found the perfect program for me. Entering my second year in 2022, I was overwhelmed with the fact that it was my graduating year, and I didn’t know what was next for me. I found myself struggling, anxious, and confused because I ended up thinking that this wasn’t the journey for me. After a turn of events occurred personally, I took a step back and left.

When 2023 rolled around and I was working full-time, I took more time to realize what I wanted to do in life: talk about sports and be on camera. My motivation came back after watching the FIFA World Cup and seeing some of my greatest inspirations take the field, reporting and interviewing players. I knew that was what I still wanted to do. In the summer of 2023, the second last week of August to be exact, I made the decision to take a last-minute leap and return to do what I know I do best. Here is my reflection on my time as a journalist.

Time management has really been something I worked on maintaining this year. Uploading two stories a day, newscasting three times a day, creating a five-minute documentary, and working on two 20-minute podcasts opened my eyes and made me realize where my priorities needed to go. Doing this as schoolwork, while maintaining two part-time jobs outside of school, my commute to school, and still managing to get a good amount of sleep all in one day was nerve wracking at first. Once I was able to fully make a plan of how my days were going to pan out, I was able to have effective time management skills, even though some days didn’t go as planned.

On a personal level, this job with the Interrobang has pushed me to grow in ways I didn’t fully expect. It gave me the experience I needed to be prepared when I enter the real world of the journalism industry. I got the opportunity to speak with multiple people who are part of Fanshawe groups and clubs, doing feature reports. This encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and forced me to become more creative.

Being able to work alongside some of my friends makes the job even more enjoyable, with the support and encouragement they give. Journalism is far from a solo sport. I came into the journalism program with no expectations in caring for a friend group because all I was set on doing was succeeding in college and fully focusing on school. That ended up changing right away with the support and encouragement my friends have given me within this program.

Looking back, thinking if I would change anything, I definitely wouldn’t. Maybe in what was supposed to be my final year, I would have looked at opportunities differently and blocked out my overwhelming feelings, but sometimes mental health is something that needs to be looked after first and foremost. Every misstep and every win have been learning experiences, shaping me into the journalist I am today. Sure, I could use less caffeine and more sleep, but then it wouldn’t have been the relentlessly exciting ride that it has been.

The opportunities that journalism has given me is remarkable and my journey is just getting started. Simply by doing my duties for the school radio station, 106.9 The X, to being a student writer for the Interrobang, writing for a motorsport company covering Formula 1 based in the U.K.; all of these opportunities gave me the experience to achieve a professional internship at a radio station in Woodstock, 104.7 Heart FM.

As I look forward to whatever comes next, I am ready for it. More stories, challenges, and growth. The world is full of stories waiting to be told, and I’m just getting started on uncovering them. Here’s to a great, fulfilling year of journalism, endless curiosity and a little more balance between coffee and sleep.