I was happily surprised having received an email from NPR’s Next Gen team about the upcoming bootcamp. As I scrolled through the acceptance email in my design class, I was already daydreaming about all the talented people I’d meet and the stories I’d get to tell.
A day before the project began, a dreadful thing happened — a nightmare for any sports individual like myself. I pulled my hamstring in a softball game.
Day 1, I was limping through the puddles of rain with all my recording equipment and photo gear, but the monsoon rain (and a rebellious pulled hamstring) wasn’t going to stop me.
Midweek, one of the mentees coordinated a dinner plan for the rest of us, which was a much-needed break. Between tight schedules and back-to-back deadlines, we barely had time to say hello. It was awesome to finally relax and get to know each other outside the hustle of the newsroom.
I’m the type who almost always aims for perfection from the get-go — which often means I either don’t start — or finish — anything. But with the back-to-back deadlines and all the blood and sweat that went into the project, I had no choice but to open up my work for public consumption.
I also feel this week wouldn’t have been as productive without the other four mentees in the room. Their passion for the stories they were working on fueled my own drive to step up my game and it was the perfect optimal challenge I could have asked for.
#NoteToSelf split the workload a little better next time. One day for audio recording and another for photos.
This past week, deadlines chased me faster than my neurotransmitters had the capacity to fire, but I kept up (with a lot of help).
All in all, this entire week was not only a rollercoaster of challenges and emotions, but a ton of growth. If nothing else, I learnt that I need to have more faith in the process (and myself).
This journal would be incomplete without mentioning my mentor — Luke — the best mentor of the week anyone could ask for! He literally skipped lunch breaks and helped me wrestle with my audio imperfections, and offered endless encouragement, not once giving up on me. Luke, THANK YOU!