Dream big, but start local

You have plenty of time to worry about an internship!”

Those were the words my career counselor spoke when I went in to see her back in November. I was finishing my first semester as a sophomore at Bryant University and I was eager to start searching for a summer internship. Typically, college students start looking into internship possibilities their junior year, but I have always known I am not typical. I wanted to get my foot in the door somewhere and put my passion to use. I wanted to know what it was like in the real world and I wasn’t about to let anyone tell me it was too soon.

During my time home for winter break, I spent a great deal of time scouring the internet for possibilities — however, being only a sophomore, with little experience in the fields of media and journalism, my prospects were few and far between. As I sat talking with my father about my search he gave me a piece of advice that I am sure landed me at the Herald. “I want you to dream big,” he said, “but sometimes you have to start smaller.”

He reminded me that although working for large media companies such as NBC sounded good, I might never be able to gain the experience I would from something more local.

Once back at school, sidetracked from studying, I landed on the LIHerald web site. Growing up in Lynbrook, the Herald has always been an obvious choice for me to check on local news while I’m away at school. People always talk about that “a-ha” moment — and this was exactly that. I went down to the contact information and found Mary Malloy’s e-mail address. I sent her my resume and cover letter, just hoping that maybe she would look it over and give me a chance. Imagine my excitement when she returned my e-mail asking to meet me and then offered me a position!

My wish was granted and this summer as I have learned more than I could have imagined. From headlines to deadlines, interviews to production day, I have experienced it all. I put my people skills to task while covering the Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial just days after starting, and continued to learn interview techniques while covering various local happenings.