As the semester winds down

I'm starting to wind up. The idea of graduating and finding the ever-so-important first job is edging closer and closer. The last few years have been hard work, but good work. The kind of work that makes someone feel accomplished.

• I've learned that writing a 600 word article in a JMC class is more difficult than writing a 10 page academic paper about capital punishment.
• I've learned more about grammar in the last four years than I have about math in the last 16.
• I've learned that no matter how much proofreading I do, there will always be something I didn't catch.
• I've learned that reporters don't have feelings, and even if they did, no one can know about them.
• I've opened the AP Style Book more times that I like. I'll probably open it once three times writing this article.
• I've learned that I have rights.
  
• I've learned that if someone offers me a Porsche as a gift, I have to turn it away.
  

It wasn't all about writing though. The Journalism and Mass Communications major has taught me a lot about my vast career field. It's about the ethics, legalities, society and the importance of news to our world. Granted, I wrote... a lot, but I also learned about what it is to be a journalist and not just a writer.

There were many surprises along the way as well. Getting back articles that had no A, B, C or even D anywhere to be seen was frustrating. But I learned. I learned how to transition from a writer of fluff into a writer of concise facts. I somewhat expected this. My GPA however didn't.

This semester, JMC 410 enlightened me on how much fun it can be to cover a beat that I enjoy. I remember being a child and having mom or dad tell me to "find something I enjoy and do it passionately." Reporting is that passion.

Doing it all over again, I wouldn't change much. The few tips I have are to make sure you have your AP Style Book and Media Writers Handbook on day one. Make sure you can take criticism constructively and make sure you go to class. Journalists can't take the day off, so why should you?

One long day with Deal

Our second assignment was a "day in the life of" story, which formulates from shadowing a subject from our beat. Since I had already gotten to know Pat Deal, a student leader for CRU, I decided to tag along on one of his eventful Thursdays. Starting at 6:00 a.m. in the UNC gym, I watched Deal squat 45 pound plates of iron, eat thousands of calories and introduce himself to nearly a hundred students.

Waking up early one morning out of the week wasn't bad. Doing it five times a week, like Deal does, is out of the question. I was fortunate to have been lifting a pencil instead of lifting weights.

Shadowing Deal was easy. Although his schedule was crammed from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., he was never hard to find and always had something to say. This made writing the story even easier.

Its always a relief sitting at the computer with a notebook full of notes spread out on the desk. Granted, I won't always be blessed with spending hours with subjects I cover in the future, but never less, I've learned that the more notes, the better. That goes for pretty much anything though.

Looking back, the story was enjoyable to report and write. I would gladly write a day in the life of story about anyone, just as long as your life doesn't start until after 6:00 a.m.

A wrap up of my profile piece on Pat Deal

For my first feature story, I did a profile on Pat Deal, a student leader for Campus Crusade for Christ at UNC. Deal is a senior Sport and Exercise Science major that spends a lot of time giving back to his college community. The following is a reflection of the profile piece.

The most difficult part about this profile piece was being able to organize a time together in order to get to know my subject. Both Deal and I have full schedules, therefore something as simple as meeting for a 30-minute lunch break was a daunting task.

The easiest part about it was the writing. Once I had my quotes, sources and information tagged, the writing went smooth. Most of my sources were cooperative and timely which helped with the initial reporting.

I learned a lot about the Campus Crusade for Christ organization through the research I did. I picked up simple things such as statistics, operational structure and local contacts in a matter of a few days.

From the writing and rewriting, I learned how my grammar is constantly a work in progress. Ever since JMC 210, I've made steady improvements, but every so often Dr. Klyde-Silverstein (blog) reminds me that I'm not yet copy editor quality just yet.

I believe I did well on capturing quotes that really added to the story. I don't know how many times I read a story and ask myself why they used that quote. My lead was strong, but I need some work on the ending.

As for working on something, I would like to be more concise. I've always struggled with drifting when I write, something that is imperative when news writing.