The Senior Year Curve Ball

“There’s a possibility you might not graduate in May” were the words I was told weeks before Fall semester was ending. My brain in panic mode, my eyes watering and my mouth mumbling words of disappointment were all emotional responses to a situation that seemed to be ending my once successful college career.

Having to scramble around frantically trying to find an internship to gain last-minute credits to graduate was not the way I wanted to start my rapidly approaching Christmas break.  Only focusing on the all-too-obvious negatives, I couldn’t help but think about all the Christmas traditions I would be missing as I completed an Internship that I was convinced would be a zillion long hours of doing “go-fer” work under the judgmental eyes of snobby supervisors.

I wouldn’t be able to blissfully sip spiked eggnog at midnight on New Year’s Eve because I had to wake up at the ratchet hour of 7.a.m the next morning. I would miss my annual high school reunion bonfire, spontaneous late night Starbucks runs and “Ugly Christmas Sweater” parties – all because of the fact that I needed a few measly credits to get that magic piece of paper with my name in pretty script and the Stetson emblem stamped on top.

Flash forward to my first day back at the radio station where I had previously worked and, more importantly, where I was able to secure my first “Christmas Break” Internship.  I was able to enjoy a few short days of Christmas break prior to my start date, but hearing that alarm buzzing loudly on my nightstand that first morning wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I swear it made me feel like I had the lead role in a far-from-entertaining “chick flick” where the main character has nothing but tragedies to endure while trying to prepare for a life-changing day. I had no Facebook notifications or Instagram “Likes” to help motivate me up and out of bed.  I couldn’t find where my dad had hidden the french vanilla K-Cups for the Keurig coffee maker and, after I had wasted 20 minutes looking for those blasted K-Cups, I discovered with overwhelming disappointment that the only K-Cups available were DECAF!  Life wasn’t cutting me any breaks.  I felt a wave of exhaustion roll over me as I began my drive to the station, sipping my NON french vanilla, NON caffeinated coffee.

The station had an array of tasks for me to accomplish during the short but tedious duration of time I would be spending there. I would be helping out with the morning shows and assisting the on-air personalities with scripts and presenting promotional giveaways we would be discussing on air. I would build relationships with listeners through remote broadcasts and contact the winning listeners after they won a prize on air. It all seemed like enough “stuff” to keep me busy while I learned more about the world of radio. I thought I would be another “Phantom Intern” who the on-air personalities wouldn’t pay much attention to. I also assumed the employees of Hall Communications would view me as “the short, brown haired intern,” ignore my presence altogether and take full advantage of my availability for their coffee runs and other “free labor.”

I was wrong.

To my surprise, EVERYONE remembered me as the “outgoing, fun-loving, intelligent Intern from Stetson University majoring in Communications and Journalism named Alayna.” I was warmly welcomed back and given major responsibilities at the station, turning my pessimistic view of this Internship into a highly enjoyable experience filled with countless learning opportunities. As I carried out my assigned tasks at the station, I was viewed as part of the family, learning massive amounts of information about the industry and making great relationships with employees and on-air personalities. Although it was a major commitment in terms of the total hours of hard (and early!) work, I began to get more and more enthusiastic everyday. 

Motivated and feeling powerful, I went to Publix and bought french vanilla, caffeine- filled K-Cups and found that my Facebook notifications and Instagram “Likes” were overflowing with comments from people wanting to know about the work I was doing over break. I even got a job interview lined up. Life was looking up and I weirdly became a morning person.

My second Internship over Christmas break was at the Lakeland Ledger newspaper.  Although it was a territory I wasn’t familiar with, I knew I was ready to take the leap into the “big bad world of news” after gaining confidence at the radio station. I was already in a “work routine” so adapting to a new and different form of journalism excited me. I had never stepped foot into a large news room and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was exactly the way I pictured it would be. Although I was warned that the Ledger recently had to lay off dozens of people due to finances, I still felt the energy that filled the newsroom, which ran through each tiny cubicle in that building. I heard the voices of angry editors echoing through the hallways of stories that “should have been turned in an hour ago” and it was really cool to feel the adrenaline kick in every time breaking news occurred.

I was able to utilize my journalism skills in a small way by updating the marriages in Polk County on the Ledger’s website.  I was happy to help read through – and share my opinion – on potential high school Silver Garland award winners in the category of Journalism as well as performing other tasks such as helping pick a police mug shot. I was lucky enough to witness the reaction of the new Mayor of Lakeland to Ledger reporter John Chambliss’s question on how the Mayor’s son was doing in prison after murdering his ex-wife’s lover.  But most importantly, I was able to get a feel for what it’s like to be a “real life” journalist.

What started off as somewhat of a burden, turned out to be THE best Christmas break of my life. Being a senior and (thankfully) graduating in just a few short months, I feel like this experience did more than just give me my necessary Intern credits and experience in the industry; it gave me the reassurance that the scary world of working 9 to 5 isn’t so bad if you’re doing what you love. It also gave me the opportunity to build important relationships that can benefit my future career.  And it motivated and prepared me for that interview I brought up earlier on in this paper.  And yes, I got the job!

Sometimes life throws you curve balls.  But in my case, life threw me a “high and inside” fastball that could very likely “change up (pun intended!) my life. But I’m thankful for the opportunities life has thrown at me and, even though it can be risky, I now have the confidence to “swing for the fence” every time I’m up to bat.