Honors Mentorship Essential Question

How can the interpretation of modern journalism corroborate its stature as a plausible, exciting career, and in what ways am I able to defend its validity?

I selected this as my essential question because I’ve only recently become aware of the decline of journalistic careers. Because journalism is an area in which I may further my involvement, this issue has been brought to the forefront of my mind on many occasions. I want to be able to dig into the core issues, discover their effects on this particular career, and find ways in which I will still be able to succeed within this world of writing.

Because I’ve been so involved with both narrative and nonfictional writing since I was young, I am extensively excited to discover ways in which I can continue my dream while also making it a realistic actuality. I’m also eager to touch on any obstacles that I might face, so that I am able to plan accordingly.

Because journalism (and writing in general) is an acute passion of mine, I’ve always cherished the idea of being able to continue my dedication in this area. Through the Honors Mentorship Program, I’ve discovered that it may even be a plausible, exciting career choice; there are, however, many obstacles that I would have to overcome in order to be successful. The hope of choosing this as a possible career lies mainly on the research of its standing, and the ways in which I am able to successfully thrive into this world.

Productivity Within Young Adults

http://growingleaders.com/blog/first-soft-skill-develop-students/

Because most young adults have created a social environment that not only preaches the acceptance of any and all types of individuality, but also promotes personal worth to the furthest extent, they at times lose what it means to healthily be involved in society. While these ideals may have been developed through inherently good motives, most of their respect for authority (especially in such situations as the work place) is severely disregarded. Since teenagers and young adults are so focused on bettering society's "toleration" of their individuality, they neglect to understand the necessity for social intelligence and its usefulness in the world.

Social intelligence is, in short, the ability to adequately navigate difficult social situations. This concept, however, is hardly achieved in the younger generation. Teenagers nowadays have difficulty finding responsible roles in the work place. Whether it be a lack of time management, gossiping about coworkers, or blatantly disrespecting a boss or peer, young adults face many obstacles brought about by the social standards of their generation. Their lack of social intelligence translates into the work place as a form of ineptitude, and young adults face many hurdles that could have been avoided had they understood what it meant to be a team player.

Something that stood out to me in this article was the fact that parenthood, in addition to the power of society, had an immense impact on how this generation perceives the way in which they should behave in the work place. It made me think of how the evolution of parenting shifted from a place of overly strict punishment, to swift and subtle coddling.

Honors Mentorship: A Look Into Journalism

Honors Mentorship: A Look Into Journalism from Christina LaPlaca

Partner In My Education

Throughout this processes, I have found that I have not only furthered my knowledge regarding the field of journalism, but I have also deepened my understanding of many life skills. Through this manner, my mentor has not only helped me develop as an intern within her company; she has guided me along my educational path. Despite any trials or tribulations I have faced, she always has helped me to grow from them and learn how to do better.
One of the goals I developed just recently was to better manage my time, so that my work can be done quickly and efficiently while also being expressed in the best quality as possible. Since this is a fairly new goal, however, I have only made a little bit of progress. What I have seen, though, is that setting this new goal has helped me get more organized in all parts of my life and has pushed me to be a better writer for my mentor. The quality and effectiveness of my articles has, in turn, been preserved, and I've been able to alleviate some of the pressure off of my mentor. By getting things done on time, communicating effectively with her, and making sure that my work is of sufficient quality, it has made her job easier as my mentor.

Mentorship Write Up Assignment: A Look into My New World

 My Player Profile: Since I was able to put a pen to the paper, I have found myself feverishly writing as much as I possibly could. Whether it be for leisure, practicality, or even- dare I say it- school work, I always found the words marked themselves on my paper with ease; hardly ever was there a time in which I seriously had to think about an approach to my writing. I loved it so much, that the actual process of sitting down, thinking, and eventually writing became painless in all of its simplicity. As I continued to grow up, however, I found my time to be very limited; day-to-day responsibilities seemed to constrain my creativity to an uncomfortable extent. In finding the Honors Mentorship Program, however, I was finally able to find an outlet to express my love of writing within the time frame of school hours! As soon as I heard back from the program, finding out that I had been accepted, there was hardly a doubt in my mind as to what field in which I would specialize. Because of this program, I am allowed to not only able to gain experiences that will help my career in the future, but I am also able to pursue and deepen my love of writing.

My Mentorship: Through the Honors Mentorship Program, I have been given the privilege to work with Rachael at Cumming Local. Because this business doesn't have a set headquarters, I get to have the experience of working at home, as well as meeting with my mentor various times throughout each month. I am even able to write articles every other week and have them posted on the business's blog!
My Future: Next year, I plan on either going through with this program again, or possibly even interning with Cumming Local outside of the educational environment. I've wholeheartedly come to love this process, and am furthering my interest with my passion for writing every day! This experience has prepared me to take on the world, and has given me more of a sense of direction regarding my possible career choices. Because of the Honors Mentorship Program, I have learned to better manage my time, communicate more efficiently with my teachers and my mentors, and how to more effectively write in certain settings. Because of this program, I am ready to tackle whatever life may throw at me next.

A Glance Back of The Honors Mentorship Process

My perception of this internship has drastically changed over the course of this semester so far. At the beginning, I thought that I would hardly be lucky enough to write even one article for Cumming Local, and now I'm writing for the site biweekly. It's an amazing experience that I didn't expect, and has helped me grow tremendously. Along with this opportunity, though, has come a lot of unforeseen obstacles. I never expected to have so much work in front of me, and so I was caught off balance. Time management, therefore, was a skill in which I found myself needing to improve.

Because I love the extent of my involvement in the company, I have been working very diligently to make sure that every article I submit is of the best quality. I have, however, fallen between the cracks in regards to time management. While I still have managed to complete the assignment each week, I find that I put an unnecessary amount of stress on myself on a couple occasions, when such situations could have otherwise been avoided. Through these experiences, I have learned how to better space out any work that I have in front of me, and will continue to give my all for this program!

Reflection Upon Entrepreneurial Journalism

Because my internship is with an entrepreneurial journalism company, this article, Entrepreneurial Journalism and the Precarious State of Media Work, reflects directly on the experiences with which this opportunity will allocate. My research will mainly focus on the effects that this career choice has on the writer, as well as the ways in which they are successful. Through this essay, I was able to pull ideas regarding the difficulties that accompany the career choice of entrepreneurial journalism, as well as the strengths this journey requires. Because this essay so readily relates to my potential topic, I can further rely on evidence found within it; it is filled with rich, resourceful information. Careers in journalism are so far and few in between, so entrepreneurial journalism seems to be the way to go in this generation. To sell one’s writing, whether it be an essay or a post, is a creative way in which young writers are able to get their name out into the world, and to also get recognized for their talent. 

Entrepreneurial Journalism: The Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Graphic Organizer

Entrepreneurial Journalism and the Precarious State of Media Work

Name: Christina LaPlaca

Bibliography (APA format)	South Atlantic Quarterly (July 1, 2015). Entrepreneurial Journalism and the Precarious State of Media Work. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9c07eb7d-621f-4b32-bec2-1d206f654bb8%40sessionmgr4009&vid=10&hid=4103
Annotation:	Because of several instances in recent years regarding the instability of our nation’s economic security, the career of journalism has been gravely affected. Jobs within corporations are almost nonexistent, and students with a passion for journalism have all but given up hope. Through this struggle, however, entrepreneurial journalism has been established. In this capacity, freelancing and self-promotion is strikingly evident; this is how many young writers have survived. They’ve taken their leadership skills, and formed themselves into an opportunistic operation.
Potential Quotes:	““…You don’t get to say that no one knows who you are, because you can self promote. Basic HTML, search engine optimization, and knowledge of some kind of content management system are all ‘life skills.’ No work? You’re out of excuses, lazybones” (Jung 2014: 49)” (page 11) “Since their inception, journalism schools have trained students to work in large, traditional media organizations” (Page 6)
Assessment:	Nicole S. Cohen, the author of the article, is a professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Because this article largely deals with areas in which she currently researches and teaches, this article is well represented and credible. The article is only one year old, therefore it provides relatively recent information. Cohen also used numerous amounts of other credible sources to support her thesis, furthermore distinguishing the article.
Reflection: (How will you potentially use it?) 25 pts	The company with which I am currently interning is an entrepreneurial journalistic approach. Cumming Local is a business that incorporates families and fun activities to do around the city with the co-writers love of writing. Because this is the central theme of the article, I feel as though I can take what I’ve learned and use it to further my involvement with the company, and possibly with my future career.

Work Ethics Assignment

This week, I was able to take a special exam, allowing me to discover more about my work ethic, which, in turn, helped me to uncover more about myself. This particular instrumental exam is called the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory, and I participated through the electronic version. Through this test, I answered questions regarding my perspective on my ability to cope in the work place, as well as the effectiveness of my endeavors. By answering these questions, I received an interpersonal score of 6.75 out of 7 (to be compared with 6.00 for women in an acute survey), an initiative score of 6.31 out of 7 (to be compared with 5.67 for women), and a dependability score of 6.57 out of 7 (to be compared with 6.34).

Through the utilization of this tool, I have found that, while I may not be the perfect employee at my meager age of sixteen, I have potential to be outstanding in any realm I choose. This does, however, place an extreme importance upon this particular experience I am embarking upon with the Honors Mentorship Program. Through this opportunity, I am able to work in a real, tried and true working environment, and am given many opportunities through which I can succeed. I must be able to live up to the high expectations placed upon my peers and myself, part of which can be done by taking the skills highlighted in this exercise (dependability, taking initiative, and working well with others), and using them for the benefit of not only myself, but also of the company and my mentor.

Communication

Whether communicating with friends, family, or a future employer, a person's poise (determined by the specific context) serves to be a useful tool whenever utilized correctly. Knowing when to speak, listen, or act in certain ways can help differentiate the completion of particular tasks associated with the conversation, or result in utter chaos.

When speaking with friends, I, for instance, find myself to be obnoxiously loud, carefree and wild; my friends and I freely speak as though nothing could cause us to back down, confidently confiding everything in each other. Similarly, I find myself comfortable with my family, but on a less casual level. While I tend not to act crazy around them, I do voice my opinions (even if they are in direct oppositions to theirs). I do, though, find myself to be more reserved and respectful with my family members than my friends. With my employer, however, the story differs greatly. I find myself dutifully tending to the every need of the company, and never find time to talk back or reprimand any of their decisions. I do whatever is asked of me, whether or not I even agree with the tasks.Whenever I communicate with my employer, whether it be verbal or written, I always reserve a tone of complete and utter respect.

Summary of "Making The Most of Your Internship or Co-op"

Within the article, "Making the Most of Your Internship or Co-op", it highlights the necessity of being an engaging intern, integrating yourself into the culture of the office lifestyle, being a compliant worker, and taking the initiative in any and every aspect the internship requires of you. It provides a very useful compilation of "do's and don'ts" that any worker, intern or not, can utilize to enhance their everyday operation in the work space. All in all, this article exemplifies the standards to which all interns are held, and gives useful tips that not only help you live up to them, but to surpass these expectations.

True Leadership Can Come From Anywhere

To encapsulate the true meaning of leadership, I brought my family together to create a skit. In the video shown within the link below, a committee meeting is being held. They are trying to determine the best way in which they could go about helping the community, but some of them have ulterior motives. Sometimes, leadership come from the places you'd least expect...

https://splice.gopro.com/v?id=V1ol49lJL

August 29

When JD Russo spoke about our generation's "numbness" to information that could potentially shape the lives of the world around us, I found that statement to likewise be valid within my school as well. So many kids take the information that's taught to aid us in furthering our future as respectable citizens in this country, and simply throw it to the wayside. It doesn't benefit them, at least, not at that moment. In watching this clip, Russo reminded me that I need to not simply learn facts and tips from my mentor, but to be actively searching for ways in which I can improve my skills, my craft, and myself.

Just as Russo is a leader and an agent for change is regards to the realm of activism, I have been involved with Simple Charity: a club who's main goal is to raise money to serve those across the world who can't provide for themselves. This club started at one high school; the idea came from one boy. It has now been spread to several high schools and a few universities. Because of unadulterated involvement from just a few students, a part of the world was changed for the better.

The Internship That Paves My Path

In working with Cumming Local through the Honors Mentorship Program, I envision not only improving upon my writing skills, but to also discover the attributing growth of my ability to prosper in real-life applications. In this environment, of which I am completely unaccustomed, I hope to gain confidence and further my workmanship. So as to ensure my prosperity throughout this internship, I will always listen to the owner of Cumming Local, and, with an open mind, take whatever criticisms that may be given. I will always be on time, if not early, to any meetings that have been planned, and will give my very best effort in any and every task entrusted to me. Through this exciting process, I hope to not only learn how to become a more experienced, more confident employee, but also to learn the necessary skills required to find and secure the type of job I want to pursue.