In my 12 weeks as an intern at The Clarkston News, I gained valuable experiences I can take with me, and I have learned my way around a nice town with nice people.
Learning is part of college, and through my internship I have learned things that will help me throughout my journalism career. Meeting and working with people in Clarkston has been a great experience and is part of being a reporter.
From talking with different people, I have become somewhat knowledgeable about different places and occupations in Clarkston.
An internship is like getting your foot in the door to the ‘real world.? Without someone as a guide, like in the classroom, I can figure out things on my own and learn about my career that way. As an intern at The Clarkston News, I wasn’t quite out on my own, and I had time to learn my job. Working in an environment different than school helps you practice your skills away from books. I could call my time here practice for my career in the near future.
Being a reporter not only involves research and writing skills, but people skills. One day involved using the phone, setting up interviews, talking with people, and learning your way around the village. These kinds of real-life experiences in being reporter put the job into perspective. Being a reporter isn’t just hammering away at the keys, it is day-to-day interaction with different people and going to different places.
I have enjoyed my time in Clarkston, learning about its inner workings. One thing I have noticed is that people in the community work together and help each other. Some people volunteer at churches and organizations, while others are involved at the library or at school.
Not only are the people of Clarkston friendly, but everything you need is either in Clarkston or close by. With the convenience of I-75, you can easily travel to places in and around Detroit.
Being part of a community like Clarkston has been a great experience that I can take with me throughout my career. Not only has my time here been a learning experience, but it has been enjoyable learning about the village and its people.

This May years of hard work will be coming to an end, or maybe a new beginning.
I am a senior journalism student at Oakland University and I will graduate this spring. Hopefully, I will transition from journalism student to journalist.
My internship at The Clarkston News has helped me with the transition. Using knowledge from the classroom in the newsroom is part of learning.
Being an intern is like being in the stage between being a student and being a journalist. I am receiving credit from the school while receiving on-the-job experience at The Clarkston News. I have help from the school still before I’m out by myself in the ‘real world?.
As an intern, I have the chance to go out into Clarkston and experience what it is like interviewing and then writing about what I have gathered. I get to talk to people in the community. Some hold offices, some are from churches and some are residents.
My next project is searching for a job after I graduate. In today’s tough economy things aren’t looking on the bright side. Foreclosures, unemployment, and the stock market are just a few indicators of the times.
In preparation for my upcoming job search, I have had help from professors, events and classes on networking, r’sum?’s, and job searches. As a student, it is important to use resources that are available.
I look at graduation with anticipation. Looking for a job could be difficult, and I am wondering where the search will take me.
Saying goodbye to being a student won’t be all tears and sadness. I will no longer have to set time aside for homework. Balancing school, a part-time job and an internship will be a thing of the past. Instead, if things go my way, I will have one job to work into my schedule.
Instead of telling people I am a student, I will be able to say reporter with some sense of accomplishment.
The thought of leaving behind long hours of studying does not make me feel sorrowful, but I am positively looking towards the future.
‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.?
? Aristotle