Where it all began...

    Since I have finished my internship with KGBT, I have grown such a passion for journalism (if you couldn't already tell). I feel like my eyes opened up and saw this whole new world! I don't have a plan for the next five years except to just get a job. Anywhere will be good. I just want the opportunity to tell other people's stories of their struggles that they will or have faced. I want to show the public if their is corruption among them. I want to be the best journalist I can possibly be.

    Lately, whenever I talk about the past few months and upcoming story ideas, I get this energy that excites me. I begin to speak 1,000 words a minute and I might have even scared a few people, but I can't wait to look for the next story and character.

    I haven't always been this excited about journalism but it did start some where. As long as I can remember, I have always loved writing. I remember being nine-years-old and writing fictional stories about my best friend and I traveling to a different world and discovering new things. My mind would be racing and my hand tried to keep up writing the words down.

My three-year-old self before my love for writing

    Throughout my high school years, I didn't pay too much attention to my writing and journalism. I took part of Economedes High School's orchestra and mariachi. I did enjoy spending my time playing music and learning a different hobby. Now that I look back, if I could to it again, I would have devoted me hugh school career to the newspaper. I was part of my high school newspaper but only for my Freshman year. After that, music was a part of my years as a teenager.

    It wasn't until my last two years of high school that I almost got back into journalism. I took Media Technology during this time and I learned how to film video and edit on Final Cut Pro. I had a great time learning how to use a camera and what a sequence is! I didn't learn about journalism in this class but it did prepare me for my work as a multimedia reporter with The Pan American.

    When I graduated high school, I was unsure of what to study. I considered many topics such as history, philosophy, english and art. I wasn't sure if journalism was the right track at the time.

    The year I spent in college, I was lost. I didn't know what I was doing or what I will be doing when I graduated. I just attended class and worked in retail at the moment. I knew something was missing. It wasn't until an old friend suggested I join tPA when everything changed.

    When I joined tPA, I had just switched my major to Broadcast and I was happy I made that move. I joined the multimedia section and this was the best decision I have made in my college career. I was working at UTPA's college newspaper, learning a trade I have been in love with since I was young. Nothing could top it!

    Passion is something a journalist needs in order to succeed. I believe my love for writing as a young girl was the seed that grew into my love for journalism. I honestly can't wait to graduate with me degree and work as a reporter.

The most important thing I learned...

    The most important thing I learned is that a journalist needs to have potential. No one can ever be perfect. They can maybe be close, but mistakes are part of people's nature. If a journalist has potential and the hunger to better themselves, they can make it in this business.

    When I began my internship with KGBT Action 4 News, I didn't know what to expect. The reporters work from 9:30 a.m. to almost 7 p.m. I now understand why there schedules are like this day to day. They love what they do and will not stop until they tell their audience the news.

Nadia Galindo and I on our last day working together

    The last few weeks I was able to shadow Nadia Galindo, a reporter who came from the Dallas area to report for Action 4. During my time with her, I learned so many great things. When I was on an assignment with her, she always included me in the mix. When she did an interview, she made sure I knew all the information. I was even free to ask the interviewee questions if I had any. She had me film footage and even do a stand-up for my version of the packages she worked on for the day.

I was camera woman for the day with Nadia

    When we would arrive at the Pharr borough, I would usually write VOSOTs to help Nadia with her work for the afternoon. She would always look over what I wrote and helped me with corrections or a better way to say something in particular. This helped me because in broadcast, reporters have to get their point of the story across quickly but without missing any information. When I finished that up, I began to work on my version of Nadia's package. I wrote, voiced, and edited my own work.

    Nadia would take time out of her afternoon, as she is preparing for the 5 and 6 p.m. newscast and go over how I should voice the script. She even critiqued how I edited and offered different ways to do things.

    Each day I shadowed Nadia consisted of questions on how to choose stories, picking a character to help tell that story, and to always tell the news. She lent me "Aim for the Heart" by Al Tompkins, an amazing read that tells you how to become a better journalist. I could not put this book down.

This is a MUST READ for journalists!

    Tompkins explained to me that we are here to inform the public what the news is. We want to tell them the truth and have them feel connected. I read about examples on how to tell a story and all the different angles. I read about how to ask questions, which is to always ask open ended questions. Always avoid the yes/no questions. An example of this is, "Why are you happy?" vs. "Do you feel happy?" I absorbed everything.

    One example in particular was an assignment about soldiers coming home from war. While many might have looked at it as the usual, "Soldiers arrived at the airport; families greeted them; they went home", Tompkins took the angle of waiting. He interviewed a wife and the first question he asked her was, "How do you get so good at waiting?" He didn't ask her why she was waiting. He brought out her pain of waiting for her husband's return to his family. How much she treasured him. He continued with explaining that the spouses of military personnel all have to get good at waiting.

    He also wrote as his own VO, "She carried a rose for him. Just like he would when he came home everyday." Notice how he didn't have her say that in her interview? This was because Tompkins knew the viewer would see the rose in her hands. He knew that if he would mention it, that was all the story needed.

    As I arrived the Monday after I read the book, I had so many questions for Nadia. Throughout the rest of my time at KGBT, I kept asking and talking about Tompkins and how he changed the way I look at stories now. I wanted to do more. The excitement could be seen through me! In order for that to happen, I need potential.

    Now to go back, I have worked with The Pan American for a year and a half. We are all students a the University of Texas - Pan American and are striving to make a name for ourselves.

A portrait drawn by our very own Arts & Life Editor 

    We all began with little to no experience when we all joined tPA. Before I joined the Multimedia section, I didn't know how to write a script or create a package. All I knew is that I wanted to learn. I put myself out there and worked my way to becoming a paid reporter for tPA, to the Multimedia Editor and the two internships I have under my belt. And do you know what helped me get all this? Potential.

Hear what past members of the Multimedia Section have learned with tPA

    I am no where near perfect when creating a package, I make mistakes every so often but I learn from them. I do try my hardest in making sure the same mistakes never happen again. Experience is what I want before I land my dream job and I know that my potential I have will get me there.

Before KGBT, there was Good Day Valley

Jessica Montoya - Antonio Rodriguez - Adriana Trevino

   Before KGBT Action 4 News, I interned with Good Day Valley at FOXRio2. This was my first internship in the broadcast world. It was quite an experience as well! Good Day Valley is a relativity new morning show with a year under their belt. Jessica Montoya, Antonio Rodriguez, and Adriana Trevino make up the morning team Monday through Friday at 7 a.m.

Future weather girl?

    What many may not know is that those who are wide awake while you pour your morning coffee, arrive at work at 3 a.m. If you're wondering, "When do they sleep?" I did too! As an intern, I didn't arrive as early. I got to sleep in until 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, arriving at the FOX studio at 6 in the morning. This was my schedule for five months straight. My schedule throughout the week was 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. The sun wouldn't even be out when I arrived at work.

Halloween graphic made by yours truly!

    I would help prepare the daily show by creating graphics, the CG's for the guests and anchors, control audio board, control the teleprompter, and even technical directed segments of the show and briefs. It was such a great experience that allowed me to see behind the scenes at the work that not many get to experience. It isn't just the on-camera work that is vital to a morning show or newscast. There were plenty mornings that included complications with packages or technical issues. If you ever find yourself in a situation dealing with this, STAY CALM! And always do your best!

Cheese Chisholm from the Harlem Globetrotters

    Towards the end of my internship, one morning show still haunts me. I arrived that morning asking Antonio what graphics needed to be created, just as I did every other day. When I finished them, I began to work on the CG's for the newscast. As I began typing the names into the program, it froze. There was only 15 minutes left until the show began and the computer froze! I couldn't believe it.

    I quickly told Mario, the Technical Director for the morning so he could know that there is technical issues. I restarted the computer and opened the CG program, hoping it will be good. Unfortunately, it froze.

    By this time, it was already 7 a.m. and we had to go live without any CG's or the logo. I had to also control the audio levels for each of the anchor's microphones so during the commercial breaks I tried to get the computer working.

    It wasn't until ten minutes before the show ended that it finally worked. After I closed and re-opened the program for the last time, I opened a new file and copied and pasted all the CG's and logo into the file. All the work I had done to try and have the CG's didn't happen until the end of the show. That's how it is when working with technology.

A yummy breakfast after work

    Overall, the experience with Good Day Valley was a great one. For 5 months, I was able to live like a morning show broadcaster. It was exhausting and I honestly do not know how I got through it but I'm sure my love and drive for journalism helped push me.

My favorite guests on the set of Good Day Valley with me

I got to do what??

    What I want most is to become a strong, well-known, female journalist. All the work, paid and unpaid, will get me there. All of the social media work I do on the side, will get my name out there.

My Facebook Page

My Twitter Page

My Youtube Page

    I even have a Tumblr, Pinterest and Google Plus. I will admit it is hard to keep up with everything! Even when the new social media sites come up. I haven't even tried to use Path yet! Is that still around? But I've learned that stations will hire you if you are well-known in the social media world.

    Now I have known some people to be skeptical about being professional in the world of social media but I have seen it in action. As I was out with the KGBT reporters, they tweeted pictures to let their audience know what to expect later that evening. Trust me, it works.

    When I was interning with KGBT, halfway through I had a meeting with Kim Wyatt about my work. I sat in her office for almost three hours discussing what I need to keep working on and how to improve. We also talked about what I have done right, but I was more eager to talk about what I need to do to make my mark in this industry.

    

    I was hungry for knowledge. She gave me tips on how to use Twitter to gather a following and also to eventually have my own website where I can put all my work. The purpose of this is to make sure if someone is interested in hiring me, they can focus on ME. Not the other reporters that will show up on the side in Youtube. I, as a journalist, am a brand. Kim also told me to keep tweeting and posting so that eventually someone from a station can see my followers and that I would bring my following to their station. That was how they hired their newest Digital Producer for KGBT. 

     Governor Rick Perry came by The University of Texas - Pan American to ceremonially sign the bill to merge UTPA with The University of Texas - Brownsville. At the moment, I do not work with a news station since my internship has just ended. It is my "break." If you take a look at my Twitter account, I was quoting the speakers, taking photos of the Student Union, and retweeting others if I had missed something. It was all for my gain to try and get my name out there. 

    So for all you aspiring journalists, USE SOCIAL MEDIA! It's free and gets your name out there! Here are my other social media profiles if you are interested!

Tumblr

Google +

Pinterest

My First Assignment with KGBT

    When I worked with The Pan American, the stories I covered were usually events around the University of Texas - Pan American (UTPA), around the Rio Grande Valley, and breaking news that dealt with students.

    I have covered Jardin del Arte's Summer Nights Jazz Fest in July 2012 with tPA.

Summer Night's Jazz Fest

    I have even covered stories that involve the safety of UTPA's students.

How safe do you feel on campus?

UTPA student injured while riding bike

    But I have never interviewed parents who have lost their 2-year-old daughter to Leukemia.

    The story of baby Victoria's battle with cancer was one that many across the Valley will probably never forget. Her parent's were in need of help to keep up with expenses after the father quit his job in order to be with his terminally-ill daughter. This caused stress on the family because they had four other children under their care. As the Valley pulled together, and a young boy, who also was diagnosed with cancer, made a request to have a birthday party for baby Victoria before she lost her battle with Leukemia the day after her birthday party.

    As I arrived in the KGBT newsroom, I was sent out on the assignment to interview her parents. My nerves were high! I have never interviewed someone who has lost a close family member, let alone their own child.

    I arrived in a Harlingen funeral home where the parents were making the arrangements. When I had requested an interview, they seemed very hesitant at first, and I completely understood why. They just lost their precious daughter. They looked like they didn't sleep all night. Why would they speak on camera?

    They agreed and as soon as I asked, "How are you coping with your daughter's loss?" The father lost it. He began to cry and responded, "How could anyone cope? It's day by day."

    I will admit that I was uncomfortable during this interview but my job was to tell the viewers what the family is going through. How they feel and what they will be doing from here. I remember that my eyes watered as I listened to the mother tell stories of how vibrant baby Victoria was before she was sick. How much she loved her siblings.

    As I went back to the Harlingen station, I told Kim about the experience and how intense the interview was. Even though I could have spent the next hour crying over the lost of this child, I went to work writing a script and edited the video for the 5 p.m. newscast.

    This happened only in the second week of my internship. After this experience, I saw how difficult some stories could be. They are heart-breaking but it is very rewarding to tell a person'e story about their life, no matter how big or small that person was. Their loss from this Earth will always be the same.

Wide-Eyed Intern

    How many students can say they had the opportunity to work with some of the best and well-known reporters in the Rio Grande Valley? I can say I did!

    May 20th was the day I walked into the KGBT Action 4 Newsroom as a wide-eyed intern, not completely knowing what to expect. I had met Kimberly Wyatt earlier this year in April 2013 and did my best to keep in contact for this internship. It was a great opportunity! I made contacts with city officials and many police departments across the RGV. 

    The reporters arrive at 9:30 a.m. ready to tackle on the news. They are each assigned at least five different stories a day that they have to get for the 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts. These stories are across the RGV and each reporter drives to the location themselves, interview sources, film b-roll all in a four hour period. That is very different from what I am used to at The Pan American. At tPA I usually have one to two stories a week to produce. What a difference in the workload!

   

 The Pan American

    Did I forget to mention each reporter is a one man band? I wasn't surprised by this because at tPA we live by the rule of being a one person band! At KGBT, the reporters begin to collect everything for their stories around 10:30 a.m. I went along with the reporters and helped every opportunity I could. I was there to learn and grow my own expertise. 

    I would arrive back at the station usually around 3 to 4 p.m. with the reporter. Next on their daily schedule was to write scripts for all their VOSOT's (which is a voice over and one interview) and their package (a complete story), including to edit their voice track with the b-roll for the finished project. All their work would air for the 5 and 6 p.m. newscast. That's right! They had about an hour or hour and a half to finish their work!

    The drive to be a broadcast journalist is what I have and helped me get through the days of driving city to city, the pressure to write and produce a package in a limited time. I felt all this and I was only an intern for the station. What can I say though? If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life!