I’ve followed NPR for two years. I listen faithfully to their radio shows and appreciate their in-depth stories after the election.

The minute I found out about this multimedia creative project, I decided that I wanted to work with NPR. A week was great, but a career in broadcasting is even better!

When I first started, I wasn’t ready for my upcoming editor position for my school paper in the spring of next year, but my sense of security grew, and I learned that everything is a learning experience because of this week.

A minuscule part of my conscious felt I didn’t deserve this internship after seeing everyone else’s experience. It was an irrational, but valid thought.

Compared to the other candidates, I fall short in experience because I’ve only been a student journalist for six months. That is why I am grateful to have been one of the five people chosen to be in this project.

One of the most important things I can take away is to always be ready to learn something new and master it to the best of your abilities. I was sure to take notes and try to get as much information from the professionals as possible.

Quality work at a good rate is another takeaway. It can be hard to develop a story with multimedia within a week for a beginner, but it’s not impossible.

It takes good work ethic, time management and knowing when to take a break. Also to take a thousand pictures! Take as many pictures you can, not just for the project, but for memory’s sake as well.

I still have a long way to go in my career, but this was a good indication that I should continue to pursue my interests in journalism despite my anxiety and awkward tendencies.

My mentor was very patient with me when I scattered the audio and asked way too many questions. He pushed me to work when I needed to and told me to take a break when I stressed out.

This is nothing new to him, but to me, this project was exceptional. I hope to take what I learned with me wherever I go after college.

If there is anything I could say to future mentees: Have fun but also work your butt off. Absorb all the information you can, and trust the professionals! They have been doing this longer than us, and know what’s best for you.

Again, I’m eternally grateful for this experience, and I hope that I have made the impression of a hard worker.