This summer, I excitedly stepped into my intern position at the Whitesboro News-Record during a rapidly growing phase of the newspaper.
My internship started in the old office and finished in the new office right next door. By the end of my time as an intern, the paper had expanded its coverage to several more towns, moved into a new space and officially reintroduced itself as the News-Record.
As I have watched the News-Record grow in just a couple months, I realized I was growing alongside it.
During my time as an intern, I realized that I was able to learn skills and gained experience that will not only help me in my career path, but that have also helped me grow into a more confident and capable version of myself.
I am grateful to have walked into a room of welcoming faces of very talented people who I had the opportunity to learn from, be inspired by and let me be a part of something bigger than myself.
Something that truly connects the community across place, time and shared memories.
I have found myself to be in awe of the newspaper itself. I spent time reading old archives, sat in on meetings with community members, interviewed people, wrote articles and helped create ads that spread awareness and share messages from local businesses, schools and organizations.
I love watching how the paper brings people together, provides an outlet for messages to be spread and keeps everyone informed on what is happening in their community.
Another fond memory is of seeing elderly residents come in for the newspaper and hear them share stories.
The newspaper is an old living time capsule, connecting the past to the present.
At one time it was the pioneer of communication - spreading all the news and messages to people. It captures moments and events in time, preserving the present before it becomes history.
There is nothing like flipping though 30-year-old pages of a newspaper and being brought back to the time it was written.
The stories, the big events, big milestones such as celebrating marriages, births, soldiers returning home from war and even the advertisements all portray a piece of what life looked like in the community at that time.
They preserve moments, honor people and keep us connected. I am so glad to be a part of something so uniquely special.
One of the most meaningful experiences during my internship was getting to meet people across the community.
I began interviewing local businesses in the community and writing business spotlights. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed getting to meet people and learn about each person’s unique and individual story.
Each business has its own personality and beginnings and I enjoy hearing about them.
What I found to be special is how each person I have interviewed shares something in common: a deep passion for serving their community and supporting the people in it.
They care about what they do, why they do it and how they can share their work with the people in their community. I truly felt their passion, which made me even more excited to tell their stories.
I cherish the experiences I have had as an intern at the News-Record and am grateful for everything I have learned.
The News-Record gave me the opportunity to watch it bring the heart of the community together and reminded me of how important stories are.
Being a part of something so special to the community has been an honor and a truly memorable chapter of my own story.
Source: Vecteezy.com