 |
I know that home is where your heart is, but this Thanksgiving I wanted my heart to be back in Georgia. Out of all my years at Ohio State, I've never spent Thanksgiving in Atlanta. I would always still have class on the Wednesday before so unless I skipped it, I would be forced to fly out late that night or early Thanksgiving day, which would be so tough and expensive, especially just to come right back on Sunday. And I would know with both my parents formerly working in the airlines that Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year to travel.
But everything has always worked out holiday after holiday since I still have some family here in Ohio. My oldest sister, who graduated from Ohio State in 2006 now works at OSU and lives near Easton Mall so my mother and my other sister, who graduated in 2007 came up here for Turkey Day. Although we haven't had our traditional Thanksgiving in the comfort of our own home in a while we just adapt to our situation and know that we have a lot to be thankful for no matter where we are.
Plus, I still get the whole Christmas break to go back home and chill, and it would seem pretty pointless to go back home and then come right back to Ohio just to go back to Georgia in a week.
I always thought that at least one year I would spend Thanksgiving at a friend's house in like Cincinnati, Cleveland or Dayton, but surprisingly most of my college friend's are from out-of-state as well so they're busy trying to go home and mostly everyone else takes off by Tuesday night. I love my Ohio friends and all, but I don't even know if I'm ready to spend an entire holiday weekend with them. Any other time would seem fine but coming at a time when all their family is going to be there seems a bit intrusive, and I would feel out of place. It's like going to your friend's family reunion...like why go? It's not your family! And I don't know half the people at my own family reunion, let alone meeting an entirely new crew.
Deciding where to spend the Holidays is a big deal when you attend school far from home. There's just so much to factor in, and instead of planning on making a quick 2-hour drive, you have to make flight arrangements, get a bus ticket or go along with a friend. At least it kind of prepares you for life after college if your job ends up being many miles away from home, you'll already know what to do. :-)
Here's my family out at Longhorn Steakhouse the day after Thanksgiving
Beat Michigan Week had Ohio State students showing their true colors and placing Scarlet & Gray above all. There were so many anti-blue activities going on (www.beatmichigan.osu.edu) that it was almost a sin to wear anything blue. It's like the whole state of Michigan was a true enemy, and even if you were not a diehard Buckeye fan, now was not the time to express that. This week seemed more like Homecoming with decorations all around campus and people really coming together in supoprt of the biggest college rivalry. I went to the Beat Michigan Pep Rally for a little bit and there was a pretty decent turnout considering that it was snowing on and off outside. Of course there was a lot of "OH-IO" chanting going on and everyone joined together to sing our beloved Carmen Ohio song at the end.
The Beat Michigan Pep Rally on Friday night
I was contemplating on whether I really wanted to attend the big game on Saturday since it was going to be blistering cold, but I knew this was going to be my last OSU home game and the Michigan game is definitely one every Buckeye has to experience. So I went, and there were some guys who would leave their seats and come up to me and my friends for not cheering enough. And whenever we sat down, they made an effort to tell us all to stand up as if we were in church and needed to give the team total praise. So that's the Buckeye spirit I had to deal with at the game, and there was never a quiet or dull moment.I had multiple layers on with 4 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of socks and 2 sets of gloves while everyone else around me pretty much had on a hoodie with a scarf. I maintained my body heat, and the game was victorious from the beginning. Students ran from their seats at the end to rush the football field while I ran back to my room so that I could start to feel my feet again. Go Bucks!
To end off the week, I participated in the Out-of-State high school student Overnight visit. The Office of Minority Affairs sponsors this event to give prospective students who meet a certain academic criteria the chance to see Ohio State for free with travel, hotel and food costs included. This is the same visit that I went on when I was a Senior in high school. They get to hear from professors, advisers, distinguished faculty members, and even President Gee. But most off all they get to hear from the current OSU students who really tell it like it is with the ups and downs of going to a school far from home. The students get a campus tour, meet up with academic and scholarship counselors, and get to eat in the dining halls to see what being a Buckeye is all about. Afterwards they get to go bowling or to GameWorks to meet other high school students from Chicago, D.C., Houston, Memphis, and of course Atlanta. I remember meeting my friend Whitney from Houston during my Overnight visit, and we both said that we probably weren't going to come to Ohio State because of the weather and the Journalism program. But amazingly enough we met up again at Orientation, started working in the Office of Minority Affairs together, both majored in Journalism and are best friends to this day.
My good friend Whitney and I helping out at the Out-of-State high school student Overnight visit
Even though I'm not a regular Lantern staff writer anymore and am on the T.A. side of things, I still have the option of writing stories whenever I want...I just have to make the time, but who has that anymore? I did come up with a cool column idea after talking with my friends after class about how families really act up during the holidays. My friend told me that his family Thanksgiving dinners end up with plates and beer bottles being thrown across the room and relatives cussing each other out. So I thought I'd write a little Editorial piece about this unfortunate dilemma that occurs in homes across the nation, a far from thankful Thanksgiving. I wrote it during class yesterday to help keep me awake so here goes the link to it: http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/11/18/Arts/Commentary.tis.Not.The.Season.Of.Bickering-3548398.shtml
I started getting so many text messages from friends and emails from random people about how this scenario characterized so many families. My friend said what I wrote sounded identical to her own family's Thanksgiving, except their turkey is never dry. But that just leaves me to think that there's a lot of dysfunction going on during the "Happy" Holidays. What can ever prevent this? Guess peace on earth and good will towards men is just not enough. :-(
I guess all the cold, rainy weather was finally catching up with me since I was starting to get a sore throat. Of course this happens the weekend right before I am scheduled to anchor the Buckeye TV News show. But all I could do now was pray, drink some hot tea and rest. Even though it would hurt so much to talk, I still had to record the voice overs for my news package this week. Consequently, I sounded a little bit like a man, but what else can you do when using your voice is essential to your job? People in professions like broadcasting, teaching, pastoring or coaching really can't afford to get sick because they can't just do work at their desk or hide behind their cubicle and handle business on the computer, they have to speak for just about everything they do.
I did feel a little better on Sunday just in time for the news show taping in the afternoon. I kept my water handy and was able to make it through the 30-minute broadcast. Being sick at any time is always dreadful, but it also makes you appreciate all the days out of the year that you aren't sick and all those healthy times we often take for granted...
Here's a look at the show in 3 parts:
Part 1: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ebe_1227062720
Part 2: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=03c_1227063168
Part 3: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aff_1227063574
I made some time to meet up with my mentee for lunch today. It's a requirement for us to make contact at least once a week as a part of the Mentoring Program ran by the Office of Minority Affairs. At the Mentoring Kick-Off celebration held last month where all the Mentors and Mentees are first introduced to each other, I came not knowing who to expect to be my mentee for this school year. Last year, I had a freshman named Tara from Portsmouth, Ohio and I thought we had a pretty good mentoring relationship. So this year I was assigned to Tara again, which helped since I didn't have to worry about meeting anybody new and getting their contact information and background story together. I already knew all Tara's business and her schedule and we had still stayed in contact over the summer so being placed together again would only continue our friendship. It's funny how I am her mentor when we're just 2 years apart, but that's a lot of time in College years. She is still in that deciding what to major in stage, and I try to help guide her as best as I can. She's thinking about going into Environmental Science and Public Policy and Management so I recommended her to take this Environmental Resources class I took last summer. Tara stays on North campus north campus now, opposed to her living in a dorm right next door to mine on South campus like last year. So even though we don't stay as close, we have a whole year to get together.
My mentee, Tara and I at the Mentoring Program Kick-Off event at the Holiday Inn- We had our blue color scheme going on!
I voted today and was glad that I got to particpate in the legendary election that got President Barack Obama in office! I got up this morning and painted Obama on my nails and went to class as usual even though it felt far from a usual day.
I voted this afternoon in the Jesse Owens Gym on south campus and didn't have to wait in any super long lines people were telling me about and felt like my little vote could actually make a difference. This was the first presidential election I ever voted in, and there were so many 1st time voters at Ohio State, which made a big impact. I interviewed people at the campus polling places for Buckeye TV, and we actually had a live Election coverage on TV where we were the 1st news outlet to declare Obama the winner at 9:45pm according to Wikipedia. Here's a bit of the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqOONRrWdcg
It was astounding how Obama had a strong lead the entire time. The victory seemed almost too easy and was in his hands way early. I was just getting back to my room and on the computer when I heard screams down the hall and shouts outside so I knew that something big was going on with the election, and low and behold, the biggest thing imaginable occurred when I turned on the TV and saw how Barack Obama was declared our nation's first Black President!!! What an exciting and historical night for black people, college students, the middle class and the whole world!
To have an African American male make unprecedented strides like that in modern day society is amazing, and truly proves that anyone can truly be anything now. I had people calling me from all over the U.S. that night in exteme excitement. It's like everyone tells their kids, "One day you can grow up and be President," and now that's a reality whereas before minority parents just said it in Hopes of a change in the distant future somewhere.
His campaign committee was awesome and really made sure that Obama was being promoted everywhere. A study just showed that African Americans were the top in volunteering for a presidential candidate 62% over any other race or ethnicity. And the Obama/Biden presence was definitely felt on Ohio State's campus, starting from earlier in the year with the primaries with rallies, muscial guests and even a Barack talent showcase. And although people tried to say that he was the most inexperienced candidate, he proved that "experience" by other people's terms didn't matter and that younger people, both Obama and most of the voters are the leaders for change.
In a frenzy, tons of OSU students stormed the Oval, marched down High Street, around the Stadium and some even jumped in Mirror Lake! What a major night! I'm glued to CNN and the electoral votes and blue states are increasing even after the announcement. Barack kept it real in saying that "Things won't be fixed in 1 term or even 1 year" and that it's still going to take the American people to help make the changes we want to see. And I think people of both parties are starting to recognize that, it takes a village to raise a nation, not just a child. So it is my HOPE and prayer that this exciting Election experience will continue to unite this country.
I went to my 1st major rally today to go see Barack & Michelle Obama downtown Columbus at the Statehouse. Of course it was stacked and packed, and I wasn't even about to go because I am not one for the crowds, and I had a Lantern article due that day, but I thought this would definitely be a historical moment whether he wins or not since he's already raised the most money as a presidential candidate and has gone the farthest as a Black person to the Presidency.
My friends and I thought we were really doing something by trying to get to the rally at 11:00am when it started at 1:00pm, but NOT with the Obama crowd. You literally had to have been there the night before and camped out on the lawn. I had gotten up early too so that I could go to the 7:30am Church service, even though people said if you were not downtown by 8:00, then it was pretty much a wrap for you trying to snag a decent spot. The Statehouse lawn didn't have a slope or a dip so that you could look over the person in front of you, but everyone was on the same level, and you needed to be Yao Ming to see anything. We pressed on through the crowd as far as we could go and ended up being stuck in an unmoveable maze (so you couldn't be claustrophobic at all). The only way you could get some type of view of Barack speaking was to stand on your tippy-toes, raise your hands up super high, take a picture and try to zoom in to find the Obama's.
Barack and Michelle spoke for a good while and they had just came from Cincinatti, and were on their way to Cleveland next. Almost all of High Street downtown was shut down and there were big jumbo-tron screens to view their speeches as well. It was funny to see vendors non-stop on every corner and all throughout the rally persistently selling Barack buttons, T-shirts, hats, mugs, and you name it. I saw a lot of OSU people in the crowd, and the City of Columbus definitely showed the Obamas some love.
We couldn't even get on the bus at the end of the rally. We had to walk all the way from Broad Street and High to 11th Avenue (approx. 3.02 miles to be exact!) and I felt just like one of my mom's old stories of how she used ot have to walk 10 miles in the snow just to get to and from school and in a dress! So I can't complain too much, the weather was lovely and there were a lot of us making the walk back to campus. We did finally make it back almost an hour later, and I was so glad I wan't trying to look too cute at the rally and wore heels.
But sadly when I got back, I couldn't just chill since I had my first Lantern story of the year (that I volunteered to write) due that afternoon, and I hadn't even started! So of course I was typing frantically and the Arts Editor said my story would just be saved for Tuesday's paper. I had to brush off my old article writing skills and put myself back in the seat of the reporters that I am now grading as a T.A. but everything came along, and I eventually finished the article that night.
So here's the story I wrote on a Senior dance project: http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/11/04/Arts/Seniors.Performance.Redefines.Dance.Project-3522057.shtml
Well it's Homecoming Week! Or is it? I don't think many people know because there aren't really any special decorations up around campus, and there's not really any publicized events going on. There isn't even a banner in my dorm and they decorate for any and everything from the Sweetest Day to Parent's Weekend. There are a couple flyers up with the Homecoming Court listed, but that's the extent of knowledge of Ohio State's Homecoming.
Guess I'm still used to the week-long celebration and festivities in high school. Time to snap out of it because obviously, People don't have time to dress up for Tacky Day, conduct a Senior class prank, or buy a Spirit ribbon. This is college, and students are too busy getting degrees. And I had a nice Scarlet & Gray shirt to wear, but no main event to wear it to besides the game, which is the focal point of the week anyway, especially after the Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally got cancelled due to heavy rain, and to top it off, we lost the game so it was just a rough week.
I did do a story for Buckeye TV on Thursday about the "The World's Largest Pillow Fight" held in the South Oval every year as an attempt to break the World Record (which is about 4,000 people). So sadly once again that record was not broken, even with over 50,000 students at OSU, no more that 1,000 showed up with their pillows that day. When I interviewed the event organizer, she said the lack of enthusiasm was probably because it was a cold, random week while Welcome Week is when they normally have it and get the most participation because of all the eagerly involved Freshman.
It would have been nice to end the week off with a Big Buckeye Bash concert, a huge Homecoming Dance, or even a Scarlet & Gray Fashion/Talent show, but maybe that's expecting too much. So Hopefully, the new Student Union will render the University more space, freedom, and creativity to try and make Homecoming Week something worth coming home for in the years to come.
 
Fashionably, I was featured in the Columbus Alive newspaper this week. Take a look: http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2008/10/30/ca_s_rack.html?sid=108
With it being Campaign season, Ohio State gets many visitors. Too many to go see at times. John Legend came a couple weeks ago, and I missed him because of class. Bruce Springsteen gave a packed out concert on campus as well. The acclaimed Princeton professor and Social activist, Cornel West payed us a visit last month in the Hale Center, and I even saw him at Church the morning he came to speak. This week we heard from the "King of Calypso" himself and actor turned activist, Harry Belafonte.
He gave a speech about Youth and Violence in society and tied in different aspects of politcs and racial conflicts that he has experienced in his 81 years of life. He was good friends with Dr. Martin Luther King, and they were only a year apart. I remember watching him the hit movie musical, "Carmen Jones" with actress Dorothy Dandridge. I also got a chance to see him at a Martin Luther King breakfast in Birmingham, AL when I was in middle school.
I got to be in the Media room with all the other journalists before his speech began. I had a camera from Buckeye TV with me, but conveniently didn't bring a tape so that was a lost opportunity. But I tried to forgive myself and make the most of the experience and really just listened to all he had to say.
He spoke on how the U.S. has the largest prison population in the world and there are more Black people in prison than on College campuses. He said entertainers have to become politcally active because of their great influence, and how they can reach people no politician can. When he first started acting, the famous actor/activist/athlete Paul Robeson came to one of his plays and told him," Get the world to sing your song and they will want to know who you are." Belafonte said he took those words to heart and then he broke out in song, singing his popular "Day-O" song, and he still had a good voice on him too.
The older generation really has a lot of wisdom because they've been through so much and have had to fight and struggle for things youth today obtain freely. So it was nice to hear from the legendary Belafonte and be humbled.
Some of his other memorable quotes:
"In our quest to integrate, we will be integrating into a burning house so we have no choice but to become firemen."
"Solution is in the eyes of what you know."
Mr. Belafonte in the Fawcett Center after his talk
So this weekend, instead of following suit and going to the Ohio State football game, I headed to Wilberforce, Ohio to Central State University's Homecoming. It was about 50 miles away from campus and pretty close to Xenia and Dayton, all the way in the country with actual cornfields! I went with my Godbrother and his Aunt, who graduated from Central State and comes back down from California every year to go to the Homecoming game.
  
I really wanted to see what it is like having a big celebration for Homecoming, which Historically Black Colleges and Universities are known for. And it was indeed a festival, with tons of people out there packed at the small school and still having a good time. It was interesting to see that even though their football game was going on, the attention wasn't really there. People more so came to see the band, the dancers, and the huge Marketplace gathering. It was like the rib fest and the fair with many vendors selling barbecue, catfish, funnel cakes, and peach cobbler as well as purses and T-shirts. They had a Step Show after the game that was sold out and had a line wrapped around the University just to get in!
  
Their Homecoming really seemed "homey" and it was no surprise why so many people come back to it each year. They have a lot of events planned and have a big, elaborate parade right before the Football game. I think Ohio State's Homecoming just consists of the football game. And we have a really good and well-known team so that is expected, but can there also be some other things planned? I don't know what I would come back to for Homecoming as Alumni. Maybe we are just to big to organize a lot of events. But that doesn't even make sense as the largest school in America. We should have entertainers and events for Homecoming week instead of just for Welcome Week and Beat Michigan Week.
Even though the Central State is about a fraction of Ohio State, they have a strong sense of community that I guess comes with a smaller school. They have a Homecoming court member for every college, and I think that would be great to get more people involved in the Homecoming festivities at Ohio State even though there are soooo many colleges. It still would be nice to vote for a representative for the School of Music, Business, Communication or whatever and have them be in the Parade. Anything to try to better connect the student body together and give people a chance to take pride in their school.
 
  
Homecoming Week will be here in a couple of weeks, and after attending Central State's, I'm intrigued to see all that Ohio State has planned.
Well looks like I'm right back to my normal schedule- an overloaded one. With meetings after meetings after classes. But the unique thing about it being so early off in the quarter is each meeting was more of an introductory one. From Bible Study to Buckeye TV and the Mentoring Program. I enjoyed going to the USG (www.usg.osu.edu) Open House because I remember how it was when I first went my freshman year. As a director for the Student Outreach Committee, I get a real fancy nametag and enjoyed telling people about the ways to get involved in student government.
I started giving and grading assignments this week as the T.A. for The Lantern. It wasn't too bad since as a student, I know the questions that might be too hard to ask and know when a student comes close to a particular answer. It just took me close to 4 hours grading so I know I have to find some way to simplify this system so I won't be stuck grading papers forever. I don't know how teachers do it, and they have to grade 10-page papers! Well, I guess it must be a passion of theirs or they wouldn't have taken the job in the first place. Most people in the class did fairly well, but I did have to give a couple F's and that's not F for fun. But it's the first week so after everybody gets the hang of the class structure and expectations, I'm sure the grades will turn up.
On Wednesday, I went to the first AAV (aavgc.org) rehearsal, and it was cool seeing all my old Choir friends together again. We have new directors this year and we learned some pretty good songs. I also made my way to back to being a part of the Dancing To Zion praise dance group, which I really didn't think I would have time to be a part of this year, but there I was, and I was actually glad I did go to practice because we're dancing to one of my favorite songs by Tye Tribett, "Bless the Lord."
So now I'm thanking God it's Friday! And I don't have much to do today but go to a USG meeting and then over my old boss's house for a Girls night get together with my other friends who worked in the Office of Minority Affairs with me.
Side Note: Remember when T.G.I.F. used to be a good television program on ABC that Family Matters, Step By Step, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and Boy Meets World would come on?
And so it came, the big day known as the 1st day of school. It was expecially delightful for me since I only had one class on Wednesday at 1:30pm! So I took that extra time serving as a Campus Locator, where I was stationed on the South Oval and gave maps and directions to anyone needing to know where a particular building was located. There weren't too many people that needed help, mainly freshman, who wanted to know where certain places to eat were, but we did get a lot of professors and even some upperclassmen who needed help trying to find a building that was maybe in the cut. And despite popular belief, more guys asked for directions!
My class was cool, Communication 500, which covers Statistical uses for Journalism. So although it was a little dry, I guess it holds some type of relevance to my field.
I also started on the job today as a Teaching Assitant for Communication 423, or The Lantern course. I met the new advisor for the newspaper, Tom O'hara from Cleveland's Plain Dealer. He's a lot different from the last advisor, but looks like he'll be a good and efficient person to work with. I mainly just assist him with class things, and I'll have to create a 20-question quiz on all the latest happenings in The Lantern as well as grade it.
Day 2: My class day started a little earlier since I scheduled this Music 101 class about singing just to see if it's something I would want to take next quarter. It was fun so I think I might schedule it for Winter Quarter, but not now with 4 classes and job. I had Communication 607 at 11:30, and that was a very interesting course focusing on the Law and Communication. I kind of never really wanted to take it, but it was offered at a good time, and I guess I should know more about the court system and all that Ammendment 1 entails.
My last class of the day was Social Work 597 at 2:30pm which is about Teen Pregnancy around the world. The Arts and Sciences school requires that you take one 597 international course, and it can be in any subject area so I thought this one sounded like the most interesting GEC. And it was because all we did was discuss what age people thought it was appropriate to have a child, and we even talked about what people's thoughts were on lowering the drinking age. My teacher surprisingly changed the time of the class though. She said because she worked a day job, we would have to bump class time back to 3:00, which worked for me. So it's a very thought-provoking course, and our 1st homework assignment is to write a story about what Romeo and Juliet would do if they had a child. This should be fun and easy!
Well that's it for my main classes, I'll add on the Buckeye TV course later. My Friday was totally free just like I scheduled it, but I didn't do too much but go on High Street to start buying some of my books. Saturday was exciting with the big game, and my Aunt actually came down from Hudson, Ohio since she gets Alumni tickets as well as my sister.
My sister, Myself and My Aunt Mary after OSU's victory against Minnesota
To end the long list of Welcome Week events, I went to the Campus Church service held in the Hale Center, and later that night was the big concert, which I didn't even plan on going to because after the big names (T-Pain. Kelly Rowland & Mario) they had last year, this time they got a lot of groups I never of. I did know of The Roots so I came out to see them at the end, and it was packed out! I had to slide in the back, and they put on a good show. I didn't realize how big the band was with a Tuba player, a couple guitars, keyboards and drums.
The Roots on the South Oval at the Welcome Week Concert
So the seemingly distant day approached where I found myself loading up the car and headed to Columbus to kick off another school year, my last one. Moving into the residence halls was no big problem for me this year since I am a regular old pro and feel like I've been doing it forever. I actually got a pretty nice sized room this time for South campus, and even though there was talk that the CP (Close Proximity) Parking passes were running out, I was still able to get one. And despite all the hassle moving in all my clothes, TV, radio, printer, fan and so on, it was also fun to get a clean slate to start decorating.
It also seemed like with each day more events got packed on. I had to be at the Involvement Fair again this year, with a table set up for New Salem's College ministry. The most exciting part about the fair is getting to meet all the new people. You can easily tell who's a freshman, and it's nice to see fresh faces, hear about where they're from, and what they might want to major in. I also spot out a lot my friends at the fair because everyone's there trying to rack up on all the free giveaways at all the hundreds of tables. Even though I'm glad my group got blessed to have a table in the shade this year, it seemed like we got the most congested section too or there were just more people out this year because it was a lot of slow moving traffic, and pretty tough for people to make their way to all the tables trying to learn about the different student organizations.
Me and the other Bible Study teacher, Aquita in front of our board.
Me and my friend Sie'ara amidst the intense Involvement Fair crowd
And although I was about to take the longest nap imaginable after the full 12-4pm shift at the Fair, my friends urged me to go to the Step Show, which was help at the Browning Amphitheater by Mirror Lake. This was another great opportunity to reunite with old friends because a lot of people came out and it was in a good, open location.
But I did finally get some shut eye because I had to be up bright and early the next day to take part in the Community Commitment event. I was a site leader this year for the school's largest single day of community service. The projects ranged from going to shelters, reading to kids at schools and hospitals, and volunteering downtown at the COSI center. My group got stuck with project "Keep Columbus Beautiful" aka Campus Clean-up, where we picked up a whole lot of trash in the off-campus community. But after the cleaning, a lot of us went to the RPAC for the Buck-I-Frenzy Fest, where there were tons of more giveaways. This is the 1st year, they've had the event I think, and I guess it's a way that all types of businesses can advertise their products. I racked up cotton candy, popcorn, t-shirts, bags and pens. Looks like I'll be set for the school year!
Looks like I've finally reached the end of my internship experience at a major news station. I have to say it was a very exciting and influential time for me, getting to be right in the atmosphere of where I would want to be one day. I truly got a snapshot of all that reporters go through each day, and a lot of times it isn't pretty. But when you're working with people who really like what they do and put together good stories despite bad weather or lack of time, it's remarkable. Especially with all the talk of how Journalism and News as we know it, both print and broadcast, is in danger. Many people at the station told me that I should get out of the business before I even get in because there have been so many lay-offs in news due to station cut backs and lower ratings since more people are getting all their news info from the Internet.
But NBC4 gave me a great look at all that I'll be getting myself into staying in this profession. I think I'm still up for the challenge, and I have gotten great advice from all the reporters, anchors and photographers about how to get started in the business and strategies to keep me in it. I have also gotten tremendous help on writing stories, picking out sound bites and putting news packages together faster. So that will definitley be something I can take back to Buckeye TV, and hopefully make me a more efficient reporter. I felt like I made a little family at the station, some of them gave me gifts and took me out to eat, and treated me like I wasn't just an intern. From the receptionist at the front desk all the way to the News Director, everyone was really welcoming and inviting, which is always what you want in a work environment, and I was surpised to experince it in what people often call a "cut-throat," "fake," and "vain" business.
Here's the sign I would see on Olentangy Road right before I made my turn into the station.
This is what the front of the building looks like, a huge brick structure.
Here's what it looks like inside the Newsroom from my view sitting at the News desk
This is the Audio Room where they adjust the sound levels for the news show tapings
Here's one of the Editing stations where I would spend hours in going through footage and writing my stories
This is where the anchors sit to tell you all the latest news during the show
Here's the fancy Teleprompter the anchors use to read all the lines from the show script
The Weather Center, where the meteorologists research and put together their weather forecasts
The "Football Friday Night" set where the sports reporters bring high schoolers in and go over game highlights
Here are the people who work at the Assignment Desk and take down all the story ideas
One of the photographers, Travis who helped me put a resume tape together.
Another photog, Seth, who help me edit and a cool reporter, Matt Alvarez
In the Sports Center- The sports show producer, Adam, and Weekend sports reporter, Omar Ruiz
The weekend 11:00 Show producer, Bailey (Ohio State '06) & weekend anchor Candice Lee
My summer time in Ohio was finally winding down, and I only had one more week left before I was leaving to spend the rest of my days before school in Georgia. I continued to do my Meals-on-Wheels route on Monday, and this time it was a little difficult for me because I had a lot of new houses to deliver to on my list. I was driving all up and down random streets trying to get these people their meals, so needless to say it took me a while but I got it done....eventually!
Here's the Weekday Delivery Report, which lists each person's address I am to deliver to as well as their Meal preferences
This is one of the people on my route who used to be an Ohio State english professor and gave some sage advice
I got with my friends for last time in Ohio, and we tried out a new spot called Ichiban Steakhouse, and it was really nice. It's on the eastside of town right by Eastland Mall. I haven't been out there in a while and it's always neat how you can basically get to any side of town or any of the malls in about 15 minutes from campus. My friends and I reflected on where we'll be this time next year. It's like everything's going to change dramatically when school's over, and I'll be pushed off a cliff and expected to fly off to the real world on my own. We discussed grad school options and potential places to work since we're all in Communications. It just doesn't seem like within a year, I'm going to have to be in a totally new stage in my life.
My friends Cortney and Angelisha at the great Ichiban Steakhouse for our last summer get-together!
Working for the TV station can have its perks, especially when I got to spend a day with the teen singing sensation, The Jonas Brothers as they came to Columbus on their "Burnin Up Tour" for their new hit album "A Little Bit Longer." NBC4 just sent me and a photographer out and we were the only news crew there besides the Columbus Dispatch and Mansfield Journal. We first met up with the Brothers at their Hotel Downtown and rode along with them as they toured the city. They wanted to see the Net Jets Operations facility so we went there, and then to Dick's Sporting Goods store because they wanted to go get some items.
NBC4 photographer, Ryan Bradford and myself conducting an interview
We ate lunch and dinner with them and their fleet (since they travel with over 13 buses of people and their entire family). I got to interview them a couple times that day, and overall they were real nice and laidback boys. Short of course like most celebrities, but still very warm and friendly. Maybe because their family is with them every step of the way. Their father was a pastor and what makes the Jonas Brothers stand out from modern day pop groups is their sense of strong values. They each wear these purity rings as a promise to God that they will remain pure and not drink or do drugs or have sex before marriage. It was refreshing to see a decent family act since there hasn't been one like that since Hanson with their "Mmm...bop" song. And I admire how all 3 of them play intrsuments and look like they work well together. When I asked them how is it working with your family all day everyday? They said they really enjoy it because they don't have to fill in their relatives on any exciting details because they're already there with them and that each of them know when they need their space.
We also went on their tour bus, which just so happens to be a recording studio as well so while they're on the road, instead of watching countless DVDs and singing "99 Bottles of beer the wall" they write and record songs. There's a drumset, keyboard, and guitars on the bus along with all the recording equipment so they practically have their 4th album finished! The night concluded with the boys amazing concert performance. Since the boys ages are 14, 19 and 20, there was a bunch of little girls screaming at the top of their lungs and crying. They were so loud that everyone backstage was given a pair of earplugs before the show. Although I wasn't too familiar with the group at all before tonight, I think they're pretty talented. And even though I had practically given up 12 hours of my Saturday to be with the Jonas Brothers, it was well worth it.
Here's me behind the stage with my all-access backstage pass
The boys rise from the pit for their opening song
The trio hypes up the crowd singing their hit song "Burnin' Up"
The youngest brother, Nick Jonas singing and playing his guitar
A packed house filled with screaming little girls at the Nationwide Arena
The Jonas Brothers: Joe, Nick, Kevin and myself on their tour bus
A closer look at the boy's recording studio tour bus
I haven't set foot on campus, besides turning in a little paperwork in to the Communication school for my internship. So I had to get better acquainted when I gave a campus tour to one of my friends who just transferred to Ohio State. It was still pretty much a ghost town like it was last summer when I took classes but today was a little different since the campus was becoming flooded with supreme Buckeye fans who were going to the Open-Football practice. We decided to go to see what all the hype was about, right after we ate at Charley's (www.charleys.com) on High Street, which rendered me one of the best philly cheesesteak sandwiches and lemonade of my life. But it's truly amazing to witness the diehard dedication OSU fans show. I couldn't believe how many people showed up to a simple scrimmage.
I ended up having to appear back on campus a couple more times to complete the necessary training at the Ohio Union for all student organization leaders (http://ohiounion.osu.edu/studentorgs/orgs.asp). This would be my last time having to do this so I decided to get it over with before school starts and do the training as the Treasurer for the National Association of Black Journalists and as the President for Renewed Vessels Bible Study. When all the officers complete their training before October 15, the group is considered registered for the year and can receive money and supplies from the University.
This week at NBC4, there was a big buzz around the station about how the news industry was going to change dramatically within the next year, causing reporters to become "one-man bands" where they would have to shoot their own footage, write their stories, and then edit it all in a day. So of course the reporters were outraged since many of them did that type of work when they first started out, and the photographers disliked the idea because now instead of being behind the scenes, they would have to be on camera as well. So basically, there would be a bunch of cutbacks and everybody in the field would be doing the same job, in order to compete with the 24-hour news channels. So this was kind of discouraging to hear. Many of the people at NBC4 said they would be leaving the station if this system took effect, but that it would also be a good opportunity for someone starting out like myself.
My trip to Las Vegas was so much fun, and even though this was my 3rd time out there, it's always something new to see. We went to so many shows from Wayne Newton, Wayne Brady and the Jersey Boys and truly shopped til we dropped since it was over 115 degrees outside. And despite people saying the economy is bad and tourism is down, the Vegas Strip was packed daily, and as crowded as walking in New York City.
I actually relocated when I got back in town since I think it was about that time to give my sister's place a break, and she said she pretty much had it with all my stuff taking up her space so I moved in to one of my mom's old friend's house since she has 4 bedrooms and stays closer to the news station. It did take me a while to move all my clothes, but I think this was the best choice to keep a happy family because you don't want to wear out your welcome! ;-)
At the NBC4 station, one of the tech-guys showed me how to record voice-overs in the booth. He set up a folder for me just like all the reporters have so now I was able to add my voice tracks to stories I had worked on. So it defitnitely helps to get to know all the people at the station since you never know who could help you out.
This is one of the voice-overs recording booths where reporters open the file for their story and voice the info of their news report to go along with the camera footage.
It was nice to have the Olympics shown on the NBC station so I got first-hand all the stats and event times. But since the Olympics were shown a little throughout the day and late at night, the News shows either got cancelled or pushed back to a later time.
I went back to the Ohio State Fair, but this time not for my NBC internship, but just for fun. I saw a number of OSU students there, rode a couple of rides, ate some Dippin' Dots ice cream, and everything was cool until it rained at the end!
 
The Gravitron ride which truly defied gravity and spun you around until you felt like you came from another planet!
 
Two more exciting rides: The Fire Ball and the Crazy Mouse Coaster
 
Me and my fair friend Jeanette and Godbrother Chris inbetween rides
 
A very little man who picked up a heavy bucket with a hook in his tongue...ouch!
A lot always seems to happen before I head on a flight. On Saturday, I just planned to go to the station for a laid-back day since I was leaving early to fly to Las Vegas that night for my mom's birthday. But of course there's never a dull day with the news. When I get to NBC4, all the desks are rearranged and everything looks misplaced because new carpet was being put in, and right when I find a chair, I had to keep going to the door at the front desk because OSU Football players kept coming to the station, thinking that's where they were doing interviews when they actually needed to be at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
In the afternoon, I go on a story with reporter, Paul Stelzer to talk about child safety at the Ohio State Fair. So we're at the fair for hours, getting b-roll of children in strollers and talking to parents and the sheriff in the blazing heat. The photographer suggested that I do a stand-up there to have on my tape, and that was fine, except I really didn't know what I would say on camera. I knew that the focus of the story was the "Lost kids station" where anyone could go to locate their child, but I still couldn't think of the best way to present the information. So Paul helped me out tremendously and gave me lines that I could use to give a quick 10-sec explanation on what lost children should do.
Yet there's so many things to think of when talking on camera:
-Is what I'm saying accurate and audible?
-Am I looking right into the camera?
-Are my gestures and body language consistent?
-Is my hair in place and outfit in order?
So all this is going through my head as I'm walking down steps, reciting my stand-up lines, and trying to block out all the people walking by and watching me. As easy as it is to walk down a staircase, it's one of the hardest things to do live on-camera because you're trying to think about what you're saying, focus on the camera, and you could easily miss a step and fall over! But I didn't trip or anything, it just took me a a while at least 5 times to get the whole stand-up together.
And while I'm doing this, I'm also keeping track of the time since I have a flight to catch at 8:45pm. But we finished up at the fair around 5:30 giving me enough time to get my bags, eat and head to the airport. So I arrive in Nevada at 9:50pm (since the flight is 4 hours and they're 3 hours behind us) and meet up with my family for another mini-vacation. :-)
It's interesting how whenever I tell people that I intern for NBC, they automatically think that I'm on TV myself. Or when people see my NBC4 badge, they assume that I anchor the 5 o' clock news or something.
And even though it is a television internship at a major television station, that still doesn't mean that interns make their way on the screen. They already have reporters and anchors to fulfill those roles, and I'm just behind the scenes and at their sides learning more about what they do. So the life of a reporter is a glamorous yet grueling job. Viewers just see them on TV reporting the facts of the story, but they don't see the hours spent all day tracking down people to interview, driving to numerous locations, and then taking all that information and somehow factually framing it into a minute and thirty news segment.
But I have gotten some opportunities to be on camera whenever we're shooting "b-roll," which is the footage shot related to the story where the reporter is not shown. If someone is doing a story on the dangers of texting while crossing the street and they need people to sort of set up the scene, the photographer will use me to be that person who's on her phone unbeknownst to oncoming traffic. Or the camera will just get shots of me doing something at the fair or walking on campus because it might be at a time where no one is outside on the street or talking on the phone or walking their dog when that's the very footage they need to make the story believable.
And I would hear from people time to time who said they saw me on the news walking downtown or at the Rib Fest or a local church. So I guess in a way, I did get my 15 seconds (literally) of fame.
As July came to a close, I conveniently realized that there was only a couple days left before the tag on my car expired. I never really had to worry about that because my mom would always take care of it or I would already be in Georgia for the entire summer to handle it. I really should have took care of this all the other times I was home, but of course I chose to wait unitl the last possible minute. And this posed a major problem since I definitely still needed to get around, but didn't want to risk getting pulled over. So my mom comes to the rescue, and drives my car down to Atlanta, gets my emissions test and tag, and brings it right back up all in time before I had to be at my internship! So my panic is gone, and even though I had to virtually beg my mom to do this, that's one of the downfalls of going to school out of state. All those amenities and resources that used to be so close and convenient are now far away and a hassle. But like anything, proper planning and a family that cares will help you get through it all.
On Wednesday, I saw Batman: The Dark Night movie with my Godbrothers and thought it was actually pretty good. I knew it was going to be real intense, but I got through it and enjoyed it. Right after I picked up my friend Bever-leigh so that we could go to my other friend's Victoria Secret focus group. She's a marketing major and an intern with VS and every week they host events to get different girl's opinions on their products. It was held at this restaurant called Lindey's in the German Village part of Columbus (lindeys.com). There was about 15 girls there, and like I had anticipated, it was a little uncomforatble sitting around a dinner table sharing our likes and dislikes about underwear, but it got better after the first hour and we moved on to discussing pajamas and swimsuits. Randomly, Mayor Coleman busts in the room on accident, and says he was looking for the bathroom. So we told him this was a Vickie Secret group, and he says, "Well maybe I am in the right room!" But eventually he left, and everyone got giftcards for being a part of the group.
The next day at my internship, I went out with the Sports reporter, Jerrod Smalley, for a change. We covered a big Golf Tournament, and it was quite interesting even though I would normally find the sport a tad on the boring side. The angle was on this particular golfer, who was battling cancer so even though we were closely watching the game, our goal was to develop the story of this man who was still pursuing his dream despite the odds. We interviewed his son, who was his caddy, and even though he didn't win, we still had this story of a golfer's road to triumph. We had to be so quiet in between each hole, which I guess is necessary for the game, and we also had to walk around this vast course, and that just had to be the day I decided to wear heels! But at the end, all the press and the golfers got to eat in this VIP lounge, and the food was so good.
We went to the Red Cross next to get footage of the empty shelves since they obviously wanted to send out a message that they needed more blood donated and fast. It was weird how all these blood packets were stored in freezers like at the grocery store.
On Friday, after we went to this daycare to show Shigellosis prevention tips, we went to this restaurant called Pei Wei by Polaris mall to celebrate the reporter, Mikaela Hunt's 30th birthday.
 
She told me of how she's been at 3 news stations and married a fellow-reporter (also at NBC4), and has done a lot prior before hitting the big 3-0. The photog with us payed for our meal, and once again, we ate good. But it kinda made me think of all the things I would like to accomplish before turning 30. I think I would like to be at a nice news station in a warm state, have my own business set up, and then I can think about marriage.
Saturday was such a long day for me at NBC 4. I was interviewing people at the Rib fest all afternoon in the great summer heat, then I went to the crime scene where this 20-year old got shot, and next it was a job fair at this Church, then a benefit for 2 missing OSU students, and the last story of the day took me all the way to Newark, Ohio where a fisherman almost drowned, so we didn't even get back till way after 9pm. And I actually started adding Sundays to my intern schedule so right after Church, I made my way right back to the studio to get some more experience.
My mom drove back up to Columbus with me and my sister for the 4th of July weekend. She wanted to go to my Grandmother's grave on July 9th because that would've been her 93rd birthday. So things are definitely going to be a little different this July without my grandmother. Her brithday always kicked off the celebrating since my sister's birthday is exactly a week after, then my cousin's and lastly my mom's- all 7 days apart. But we made the most of the time and got some flowers and paid our respects at the gravesite. What a difference a year makes! Just last year, we took out my Grandmother to her favorite Red Lobster and now there's one less person at the table. My mom held up pretty well though, and we all got through her birthday.
For the next celebration, I headed right back down to Atlanta for my sister's birthday. Even though I was just at home last weekend, she begged me to come back for her 23rd as if that was some kind of landmark age, but you only turn it once, and she calls it her "Michael Jordan Birthday" (because he was #23).
So once again, I had to work my travels around my work schedule, but decided to leave first thing Sunday morning so that there would no breaking news story that was going to make me miss my flight!
But I did go on a lot of interesting stories this week, from Park safety, Stolen cars on campus to Shigellosis (which is like extreme Diarrhea). Saturday was fun because I got to interview some people on the Bush Legacy Tour. I thought this would be a bus promoting Bush's presidency while they're goal was the total opposite. The bus is a traveling museum of mini-exhibits with bad highlights of Bush's presidency. They said that since the president has made such a mess of things, they wanted to showcase his legacy now, instead of putting all the facts together years later. They parked right in front of the NBC station for us to see and will be making stops all around the country before the November elections. Here's their site: bushlegacytour.com
I also got to do my 1st real stand-up (when a reporter is in front of a building or displaying something) on camera at the Franklin County Fair. It was fun even though it smelled like horse maneur the whole time. But the angle of my story was to see if more people were going to the fair this summer because of high gas prices. I did a 3-part stand-up where I started off at a gas station saying,"If gas prices are putting a damper on your summer vacation plans.." and then I was at the Fair entrance and said "Why don't you come to the Franklin County Fair.." and then I said, "And ride a horse," while I was actually on a little pony. So it was a very detailed stand-up that looked really nice when it was all put together.
So I was at home in Georgia from Sunday till Wednesday since that day was my sister's actual birthday. And I flew back on Thursday morning just in time to make it back to my internship. We mainly went out to eat everyday and to the movies and mall because my sister just had to get a new birthday dress and her nails and hair done for her big day. I knew Wednesday, July 16 was going to be a day that never ended since we were up all morning and then headed to Fox Sports Grill at Atlantic Station for the dinner with 10 of her friends and concluded with going to this place called Noir (means "black" in French) where we saw Atlanta girl group, Cherish and some of the guys from MTV's "G's to Gent's." So we definitely did not get back home until around 2:00am when I had to be at the Airport promptly at 5:30am. The things I do for family! But we enjoyed ourselves and she did have a happy birthday, which is the main point.
But it was pretty hard to stay up at my internship that day. I had went in the employee lounge area for a bit and tried to nap for half an hour until someone came in, and I had to act like I was searching for my contact lens. After I got off there, I forgot that I had promised my friend Bever-Leigh that I would stop by for our weekly get-together dinner. So I was running on fumes that day and was too glad to finally go to sleep!
My sister, Bianca and I out celebrating her 23rd Birthday
This week I started volunteering for the Meals On Wheels program. I got an email about some service opportunities so I went to the Orientation last week, and now I'm delivering meals to Columbus residents over 65-years old or anyone with a disability. It's been a neat experience, especially since the program has their meal delivery sysytem down to a science, All of Columbus is divided into over 15 routes, and I handle the Clintoville area which basically covers High Street, north of the OSU campus. I have to check off and record the times for all the 30 people on my list, and make sure I give them the appropriate meal since they range from Hot, Cold, Kosher, & Puree and they get different types of milk or juice.
 
Here's one of the many meals I deliver out of the different selections. Each person gets two containers and a drink.
The first time I went on my route, another driver came along to show me their normal way of travel and all the back roads. It can get kind of tedious driving and stopping at every single house and continuously having to pull out the right the meal, but it's okay when I think about the elderly not being able to eat all day. They like to chat for a while and ask me all sorts of questions since I'm probably the only person they might've seen all day. I only deliver meals once a week, and it's interesting to know that the whole Meals On Wheels program is ran primarily by volunteers and random people who sign up. The other staff of drivers and cooks are pretty dedicated too because they work on Holidays and even on weekends.
 
These are the food bags that I pick up at this church and then place them in the back seat of my car.
I started to feel the mega-time constraints of being a news reporter this weekend. Because it's like their schedules are not their own. They are there to serve the public, and it's hard to try and fit a breaking news story in a 9 to 5 work day. I was supposed to be leaving the news station a little early on Thrusday since my sister and I were driving back to Atlanta for the weekend, but I didn't even get off till around 7:00pm!
I had went on a bunch of stories that day from Fireworks safety to Buckeye Lake events. So we had to go to a couple fireworks stores, the Fire Marshall's office, and then Buckeye Lake. I had learned more about the different types of firecrackers and their restrictions than I had ever wanted to know. So right when I get back to the NBC station, they send me off on another story to assist a photog on breaking news. It was only 4:00pm then so I thought that maybe I could've made it back home in good time...except the story was in London, Ohio all across town, a solid hour away.
So I called my sister, who of course wasn't going to be too happy,especially since I was the reason we left late for Memorial Weekend too, also because of a news story gone long. But I had to talk with the London police and other crime scene investigators about a sex-offender who had been kidnapping Columbus teens and bringing them to his London residence. That took at least 45 minutes, and by the time my sister and I got on the road for our 9-hour drive....it was already 8:00pm. So you can only imagine how late or rather early it was when we arrived in Atlanta.
|
|
About TV_Hope
Recent Posts
Archives
RSS Feed
Other Ohio State Bloggers
|
|
|
