Final Portfolio Entry

Since this blog was started strictly for academic purposes as a requirement for my Communications courses here at Harding University, this final portfolio entry will the last post on the blog overall.  I will be creating a new site to maintain a digital portfolio in the near future and will post it as soon as possible.

Over the course of this semester in this Mass Media Writing class, I have learned a lot about the ever-changing ways of journalism.  I have come to experience the aspect of being a backpack journalist while working as a part of the team that went to Italy over spring break.  The posts during my trip and the previous post about how Harding is preparing me for my career will attest to that.

Since that trip I have uploaded several stories to the College of Communication web site The Link on my own and with partners. I have learned to be ready at all times with a camera to capture a story through still shots, video or audio and upload and edit my work to make it a story worth reading.  I have learned to look for the interesting angles of stories or simply tell a person's story and feature individuals who have something to share.

Here are the links to my stories that have been uploaded to the site since the last portfolio entry:

• Brigidino: A secret in Scandicci
• Feature: The Duomo
• Five fantastic features of Florence
• 'Life is Beautiful' in Arezzo, Italy
• Dr. Andreina Bianchini discusses work as international program director in Florence
• All that Jazz: Scandicci jazz band performs at the Villa
• Student shares her passion as art education major
• Some Different Animals make music on Harding's campus

Clearly the first six stories are from my time in Italy.  The first is about the family of merchants in the Scandicci market who have a secret recipe for making their Brigidino.  The second is simply about the incredible Duomo in all its glory.  The third story was a fun piece with an equally fun alliterative title. It was a creative way to experience the various sites one should see in Florence and share that with the readers.  Next is a story about a trip my friend and I took on our own to Arezzo, Italy, where the movie "Life is Beautiful" was filmed. It was a neat feeling to not only be experiencing such an intriguing country as Italy but to be taking pictures of and standing in the same location as an award-winning foreign film.  The next story is about a guest that came to celebrate the HUF program at the Villa. It is a feature story about Dr. Andreina Bianchini who shares a similar position as the director Robbie Shackleford for our international program in Italy but for several state universities.  The jazz story is about the Scandicci Jazz Band that came to perform at the Villa on our last night there.
The last two stories were done since my return to campus.  Both are feature stories: one being about an art student and her talent as she finds her passion and embraces it as her future career and the second being about a newly formed student band who was asked to perform by Harding's Campus Activities' Board Director. It was sort of a preview as to their music and an inside look as to who these guys really are.

Again I will be posting the new site for my entire digital portfolio soon.
Ciao!




 

Future Planning

As I look ahead and begin planning my future, it can be overwhelming.  The experience I gained while working with our journalistic team from Harding University when we went to Italy will be indispensable.  That trip taught me so much about responsibility and independence while also enlightening me on the different culture of a beautiful foreign country.  I learned about working on a deadline, reporting about events as they happened and I also learned about feature story reporting - which could be done at any time.  Selecting one person and hearing their story to write about what makes them unique is always interesting.

I adjusted to hectic schedules and was flexible as things were constantly changing throughout each day.  I worked with various team members and learned to get the most done using each of our particular talents and best skills. I experienced the world of backpack journalism as I went to all kinds of events and places and found stories wherever I was.  I had my flip cam on me at all times ready to pull it out and capture some timeless scene or record the unique sounds or video some entertaining clips as they happened.  I blogged daily about anything that had affected me during the trip and shared my story while discussing others' stories.
Another course offered at HU that has prepared me immensely is Mass Media Writing (for which I started this blog).  I have had to experiment with the different aspects of journalism with video, audio, still shot photography and all kinds of writing skills.  Regardless of where I find myself, these abilities will be necessary.  Other courses that have helped prepare me tremendously include Public Relations Campaigns where I develop a campaign for a company/organization and complete all the steps for it and Print News Writing.

After graduation next May, I will be getting married and most likely moving to Washington, D.C. for some time for my husband's work.  As a public relations major, this is a dream come true!  D.C. is one of my favorite places and is full of great opportunities.  The important necessity to remember, however, is true work experience!  This is something every organization/business usually demands.  At an entry level, I will have quite a ways to go in order to reach the top or at least upper positions where I would like to be.

After doing some REALISTIC job searching, I found some promising jobs currently available as ideas for the near future:

• An Administration Assistant in Government Relations for MWW Group, recently named one of the Best Agencies to work for by PR Week.  This firm deals with Public Relations, Public Affairs and Marketing.
• A Program Assistant, Labor Management & Employee Relations (LMER) for District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). 
• A Manager of Communications for North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) serving as the single point of contact for media.

All of these positions require knowledge in computer programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Excel and Powerpoint.  They also demand skills in creative programs such as In Design, Photoshop and Flash; web programming language is definitely a plus.  Being able to blog and track down information while constantly developing communication connections is extremely important.  It is crucial to be self-motivated, be flexible (and able to excel in ever-changing environments), be able to manage several different projects simultaneously, produce excellent work on a deadline and be creative and up-beat.  Other important qualities involve efficiently working in teams and having great problem-solving abilities.

Sounds slightly intimidating, and that barely skims the surface.  However, I am confident in what I have to offer any organization, and I know what I do not know now, I will certainly find out and be ready.  For now, I will take it a day at time and pray for my future as I continue to gain knowledge and experience in this exciting field of constant changes.

Travelling

I have tried to keep up with my friends who were studying overseas in Italy this semester since I returned home.  It was such a blessing to be able to visit them during the middle of the semester when I took my trip.  I was able to see them before the rest of the students on campus would be able to do so, and I was able to explore the beauty of Europe with them.  However, while I have been back in the classroom, they have been continuing to experience Italian culture and even free-travel more.

Now, most of them have all returned to the States, and several have even been on campus to catch up.  Guys came back with massive beards; girls came back with tons of souvenirs; but all came back with the glow of Italy.  I went out with a group to celebrate their return this past week which was great.  We reminisced about being in Italy together, I heard new stories from since I had left them and was told about some of their experiences travelling to various other countries during their free-travel.

However, some of our friends have still been unable to come home due to the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland.  The ash and other atmospheric problems have disrupted flights from Europe caused severe problems for travellers like our HU students.  Some are in England and others are on our campus in Greece, for example.  One main problem for anyone going through this is they are running out of money.  My prayers have been with our friends and any other stranded vacationers.

Hopefully they will be safely back in the United States soon and able to celebrate with the rest of us!

Hasta la Pasta

This weekend was the first time my family and I went to Olive Garden since I returned from my trip to Italy.  That always has been my favorite restaurant, and I still believe it is.  However, after having authentic Italian pasta and meals in the country, tastes are different. 

I remember hearing before the trip that going to Italy will heighten all of your senses.  The food, the smells, the shopping experience, everything is extraordinary.  The food in Italy is the one of most significant parts of this statement.  Lavished meals are provided and seasoned to perfection, especially the pasta.

It makes me appreciate the art of cooking even more.  So much time is spent preparing meals that by the end, I just wanted to hug the chef.  Several courses are served; each one is absolutely delicious.  It is then that I discovered, just the "antipasta" could have been my meal.  Yet, it was one of the smallest sizes and the rest just kept getting better!

Yes, I still enjoy Olive Garden immensely.  Do I miss the true Italian meals?  Yes.
My next step is trying the Gelato here to compare.

Still on Italy Time

One thing I remember specifically learning while in Europe is their concept of time.  Things were not done literally "on time" very much.  It simply was not the most important thing to be exactly on time everywhere you went. 

The Italians took their time and were laid-back about things so that they enjoyed each moment more.  This meant meals were longer and fellowship lasted longer during and afterward.  Being surrounded by so much beauty and art, I suppose that's how it truly ought to be.  Life should be lived not rushed through and then reflected upon further down the road with regrets.

I've mastered the whole "not-being-exactly-on-time" aspect.  I tend to be running late a lot.  That's ok when you're given a time to be somewhere in a foreign country and NOT expected to show up until at least a half hour later.  Over here in the States, however, I need to correct this concept.

Yet, I think it's neat in a way to be so laid-back when it comes to the concept of time.  After all, time is what man's life and entire world revolves around!  Our Creator does not work on a time slot going from when the big hand on the clock is on one number til it gets to another.  We should soak in every moment we are blessed to have. 

Until everyone learns to accept this, I guess I'll just work on being "on time" more!  My excuse right now is that I'm still on Italy Time.

Reflecting

As I finally feel adjusted to being back in the States, I find myself looking back at my incredible experience that has gone so quickly. 

Going through pictures and sharing stories with everyone back home has made me only appreciate my experience even more (if possible).  I was enveloped in the history of the art in Italy and pesonally traveled to several historic sites that I only dreamed about seeing just a few months ago.  Like I said in the first blog entry, I always have desired to go to Europe, specifically Italy, so this trip was truly a blessing from God.

I also enjoyed the travel experience with the talented and fun group that was part of this program.  I was able to get to know several students that I have had classes with previously and met some others for the first time.  Besides my team that went to do this assignment, it was great to visit MANY of my friends in our international program in Florence.  When asked about my favorite part of the trip, I cannot choose just one monument or specific site like the Colosseum in Rome or the Duomo in Florence. However, I can say that what made the experience so great was the people with whom I found myself traveling.

This definitely was my best spring break and the most eye-opening experience I have had thus far.

The Long Journey Back (Sat./Sun. 3-13, 3-14-2010)

As the saying goes, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

Saturday, we began our trip back to the United States.  This proved to be much more challenging than expected, however.  Due to weather issues, we were unable to fly out of Florence.  Therefore, we took a bus to Pisa to fly out from there after waiting around for over an hour.  This waiting made us miss our next flight from Munich, Germany.  We ended up waiting in so many airports from this point onward.

So the adventure began as we had to stay overnight in Munich in only what we had on us.  We then split up into small groups in order to fly out as soon as possible taking whatever was available.  I was in one of the latest groups and took the long flight from Munich to JFK in New York, then from JFK to Charlotte, North Carolina, to Little Rock finally and ride the bus back to Searcy. 

After other delays on flights like at JFK and luggage issues, I arrived back at school trying to brace myself for the next day around 2 a.m.  I never had been so excited to shower and crawl into my own bed at Harding University. 

It had been the most incredible experience and trip across the Atlantic.  I saw so many sites and went so many places that I never anticipated!  I could not be more grateful for this unique opportunity.  Friendships were strengthened and new ones formed along the way, and I cannot wait to upload my hundreds of pictures and share the details of this trip with everyone close to me!