I’ve had a few jobs in the journalism industry, and each one has been incredibly different in their own unique ways.

My first job in journalism started when I was 16.

My mom had been scrolling through her Facebook page when she came across a promotional flyer that advertised editorial internships for entertainment magazine, shuString Magazine.

I decided to take a chance even though I had no prior experience in journalistic writing.

I knew this was the career path I wanted to take, so I thought that if it was meant to be, the internship would be mine.

A few days later, I received an email from the magazine’s editorial leader. We talked back and forth, and on one Sunday morning, I received a confirmation email for the internship.

I was over the moon and couldn’t stop expressing my gratitude for the opportunity.

At the beginning of the internship, my concentration was to build my writing skills by writing content for the magazine’s website. I remember my first assignment was to find makeup gurus who had beautiful and unique “fall looks,” and write stories about them.

The website articles continued until it was time to write for the magazine and do my first interview.

So much of it was back and forth through emails, but it was incredibly eye-opening and an amazing way to begin my career. I’ve been able to interview people like Emily Bett Rickards, Gabriel Conte and Jaicy Elliot.

But the time came for me to broaden my skills and further my experiences in journalism, so I reached out to our local newspaper once I made the transition to the town I live in now.

After being turned down due to no available positions within the company, I was notified of funding for an internship during the summer of 2020.

I was immediately thrown into this world of fast-paced journalism. Instead of things taking months to come together, I now had to have a quick turn around of a few days.

And then (dun dun dun), the entire editorial department decided to step out of the office to follow different journeys.

My new boss, someone I deeply admire, and I began writing for three weekly newspapers with only “two and a half” people on staff.

Yes, it was incredibly exhausting, and there were days I’d go home and could do nothing but lie down (sometimes a few tears slipped, but that’s a normal thing for me).

But I’ll forever credit my career to that short experience.

I left the company after a few months so I could focus on school. When you work for a newspaper, that newspaper becomes your entire life, and I needed the time to focus on my school work without the constant thought of the newspaper and deadlines in the back of my head.

Now, I work as a student writer for my university’s blog and magazine, TROY Today, and it’s another amazing experience I’ll have in this career field.

I never guessed that this is where I’d be before the age of 21, and I have no idea what I’ll be doing within the next year because I’ve learned to just trust God and his plan.

All three of these experiences have been so different, but I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without them.