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.