
October 27, 2017 · 0 Comments
By Avery Park
Picture this, you have just started your final year in high school, and the last half of your day is a co-op class.
You’re thinking about what you’re interested in, maybe journalism. If you want to learn what that’s like, it would be awesome to see some journalists working, so you apply at the local newspaper. A week later, you go in for an interview, and you get the job.
At first, you’re guessing that you might be cleaning, taking the trash out, and just observing what everyone around you is doing.
Guess again.
By the end of your first month, you have seven published pieces, interviewed five people, and have your very own voice recorder.
Crazy, right?
That’s how I’m feeling right about now. Seventeen years old, and I am already involved with the local newspaper. It’s an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
“Written by Avery Park”, it’s right up there, that’s my name. Seeing that is almost unreal, and imagining the people reading this, something that I wrote, is even more unbelievable.
Some of the opportunities I have been given include coming up with my own stories, gaining real world experience, meeting a lot of new people, and having my own desk at the office.
It’s pretty cool, my desk has its own computer and phone, and the chair is way better then the one I have at home.
Using the phone was something I had to get used to. I don’t even like ordering pizza at home, and now I have to call people and ask them questions. I would rather them asking me what toppings I want.
Over the month I have become more comfortable with the phone, sending emails, and just talking to people in general.
I’ve met the Chief of Police, Wayne Kalinski, and the Mayor of Orangeville, Jeremy Williams. When you’re told that your first two interviews are going to be with them, no pressure, right?
Having the big two interviews first actually did help, because now I know that there’s nothing to worry about. I built it up a lot in my head, but after those interviews I realized that I could be a lot more comfortable when talking to people.
Now that I have more of an idea of what being involved with a newspaper is like, I am looking into journalism courses for post-secondary education. Application deadlines are in January, and I know it’s going to come quickly.
While everything I do here at the Citizen will help me when I apply, I also need to keep my grades up, and I like being very involved with clubs and teams.
Currently I am on the basketball team, with volleyball tryouts next month and rugby meetings starting now for the spring season. I am involved with yearbook, link crew, and will be signing up for the prom committee.
In other words, I like to keep busy.
It is challenging to stay involved with everything at school, because I use lunches to get to co-op, and clubs meet at lunch. There are also sports games, which you get excused for near the end of the day, but I’m supposed to be here until 2:50 pm.
I try my best to stay as involved as possible, but having co-op does make it more of a struggle.
Even with those struggles, I know that every time I had the choice, I would pick coming here to the Citizen over and over again. With all of the wonderful people that work here, I couldn’t picture a better place to be for my co-op.
Everyone has been very supportive of my ideas for what I want to do, not just those who work here, but family and friends as well.
My best friend has been cutting out everything I’ve written since coming to the Citizen and posting it all on her wall. It makes me feel very loved when I can see the support I have like that, and it encourages me to keep pushing for what I want.
Now when I think about my expectations I originally had for my co-op here, I laugh. What I have done already greatly surpasses those expectations, and I’m happy they did.
Looking into the remaining four months I will be here, I have no idea what I will be doing. I’m excited to keep learning what this job is like, and can’t wait to see what opportunities I will have.