Maya Jones
Sitting in the pressroom at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday with
Carlton Thompson and Jim Jenks of MLB.com, I was able to listen to advice being
given by two men who are where I want to be. Jenks and Thompson have been through
some things in this industry that I hope I never have to experience, including
having to make cutbacks in staff, and seeing newspapers fold—though neither
occurrence seems all that rare nowadays.
There were a couple of things said that stuck with me and made
me realize not only how much I’ve grown in a short amount of time, but also how
far I have to go, and things I need to start improving on now.
“I talked more than I
listened.” Thompson said this
about his internship experience and where he felt he messed up. I actually felt
the opposite way about my performance in my first internship. I listened more
than I talked, and that could be just as frustrating. During my first
internship, I didn’t want to “bother” my editors. I didn’t want to pitch ideas
for fear that they would be rejected. I listened, took advice, but never really
sat down or talked to anyone about how I felt regarding stories or the way
things were being handled. Since then, I’ve learned the importance of forming
connections with colleagues and editors.
“When you get an
opportunity, you have to make the most of it.” When Thompson said this, it made me realize how important programs
like SJI are, and how seriously they should be taken. Not everyone gets a
chance to be taught by the best of the best. Not everyone gets the chance to
experience what it’s like to have mentors who are really looking out for you,
rooting for you and wanting to see you succeed. It’s only been two days and I
already feel like the people who are teaching me will be there for me whenever
I need them. That’s an extremely good feeling to have.
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