By: Gray Hawkins
If I had to describe how I feel right now in one word, “surreal” would be a safe bet.
Even with three years of college experience in a journalism major under my belt, the first day working as an intern for The News Journal feels like the first day period. I stepped inside this building one time before this internship in 2022 soon after I and the other students in Corbin High School’s journalism class began producing our own newspaper, The Paws Print.
I cannot say with certainty how much has changed since our little field trip, but some things are easier to identify than others. The room I work in seems neater than it did back when copies of the paper and Strictly Business issues covered the desk so we could see what a professionally printed product looked like. Mark White, who my classmates and I briefly met back then, sits at the same desk if I recall correctly. Most other faces are new. As for me, I do not think much has changed other than I have gained some AP Style knowledge The Paws Print severely lacked that year.
The surrealness of it all comes into play when I remember this place is the reason I wanted to become a journalist.
When I toured The News Journal and J. Frank Publishing as a high school senior, a career path in journalism was not on my radar. I just liked writing in general, but my family had gently warned me not to major in creative writing — joke’s on them, I majored in both.
During these tours, I noticed that the people speaking to us kept making direct eye contact with me when addressing the group. In the moment, I assumed I was the issue and these grown professionals were thinking, “Gosh, this weird teenager is staring at me, and it is making me super uncomfortable.”
Obviously, that was not the case. They saw a group of high schoolers, most of whom were happily zoned out and thankful to be out of class, with one kid in the front listening, nodding and asking questions. Talking about your profession or business is a lot easier when the person you are talking to cares.
As it turns out, I cared a lot because I wanted to do what they did. I declared a major at Murray State University and I have not had any regrets since.
Now, in the last summer before I graduate college, I get to return to The News Journal as an intern to test the skills I have and gain ones that cannot be taught in classrooms. As surreal and mildly scary as it feels right now, I am excited for what comes next.
