One of the (many) perks of being in DCI is that interns get to work with professional, high-quality equipment. From the DSLR cameras that capture every event, to the tripods used to film AUSD Todays, DCI equipment is essential to our interns’ high-quality content. At a weekly meeting, intern and Equipment Manager Jodie Tran gave a tutorial on how to use the newest addition to our equipment—DJI mics! These mics feature a charging case, two transmitters, a charging cable, an audio cable, two windscreens (in case of wind interference), and more. Jodie’s presentation emphasized the versatility and quality of these new mics. They offer three different recording modes, and can function at a distance of up to 820 feet when unobstructed. Small but mighty, these microphones markedly improve the quality of interview recordings—useful for any type of journalism, but especially AUSD’s Keepin’ It Arcadia podcast. Current (and future) DCI interns will certainly benefit from Jodie’s thorough presentation!
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By Eisen Chang Contrary to popular opinion, going into an interview requires a fair share of preparation and practice. That is why, as part of DCI’s January 22nd weekly meeting, DCI Intern Danielle Workman presented a unique slideshow, sharing essential tips and tricks from her previous experiences as a Rose Court finalist. Throughout her presentation, Danielle stressed the importance of attention to detail and highlighted its impact on the impression left by the interviewee. Specifically, she emphasized the significance of understanding the setting and rules of an interview beforehand, maintaining a presentable appearance, and the value of practice. Thanks Danielle!
By Eisen Chang Amidst the warmth of a sunny Monday afternoon, DCI Intern Rianna Marquez presented a comprehensive analytics presentation for the month of September as part of DCI's October 2nd meeting. During her brief and informative presentation, Rianna covered a plethora of essential topics and offered valuable reminders for the DCI team. From tips on creating and editing captions to important reminders for editing pictures, Rianna emphasized the importance of ensuring that every social media post followed the high standards set by DCI. She concluded her presentation with diagrams displaying social media data across AUSD's platforms.
By Alysia Shang During the 2022 Fall Semester, DCI embarked on a new venture: creating a magazine. Despite encountering obstacles along the way, the DCI interns and advisors persevered throughout the process and on March 8, 2023, the first edition of the Imagine Magazine earned an Award of Excellence in the General Publications/Collateral Materials category of CalSPRA’s Excellence in Communication Awards program. A huge thank you to the interns and their incredible contributions through writing articles, editing, and taking pictures. A special shout out to Graphic Design Lead Rachel Saw for producing the heart-warming cover, Newswriting Lead Danielle Workman for meticulously copyediting all magazine articles, Magazine Lead Wesley Chen for guiding the team throughout the entire process, and, of course, the wonderful advisors of DCI: Mr. Foran and Ms. Nuuvali. Along with this award, the Arcadia Unified School District also earned an Award of Merit in the General Publications/Collateral Materials category for its Enrollment Campaign and an Award of Merit in the Special Events category for the Teacher of the Year and Classified Employee of the Year Surprise Announcements. Congratulations DCI!
By Nicole Nie On January 23, 2023, DCI Intern Danielle Workman presented about LinkedIn and online networking to fellow interns. Skills presentations provide an opportunity for interns to share a skill they specialize in or learn from another intern. This was Danielle's second skills presentation in DCI! Her last one was about how to stay organized using Google Sheets. Upon joining DCI, every intern is guided through the process of creating a LinkedIn profile. It marks the first step into the workforce and the professional world for many of us. While DCI interns already have a LinkedIn profile, Danielle shared how we can take our profile to the next level. For example, adding certifications increases credibility. From DCI alumni to the district superintendent, they have all emphasized the importance of networking and connections. Maintaining relationships with people you have worked with or met can help you land your dream job one day! Danielle reminded DCI interns about how we can build these relationships through LinkedIn.
By Nicole Nie I would call you crazy if you told my seventh-grade self that I would be meeting Mark Tuan in just a few years. If you don’t already know, Mark Tuan is a K-Pop idol in the group GOT7. His hometown is Arcadia and he has returned to California to pursue his solo career. He recently released a clothing line dedicated to his hometown and had the photo shoot at Arcadia High School.
I was dozing off (sorry Mr. Mynster) in fifth period AP Statistics when I got a tap on my shoulder. Mr. Foran, one of DCI’s advisors, said to pack my backpack and follow him. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing, until Mr. Foran explained to a few other interns and me that Mark Tuan was arriving in just 30 minutes. As a GOT7 fan, my heart started racing and I started pacing back and forth. I knew it wasn’t the time to fangirl and I needed to maintain my professionalism. I told myself: I’ve never heard of Mark Tuan in my life. Who’s Mark? Mark Twain? About fifteen minutes of waiting at the rally court, a photographer and two models arrived. We first observed from a distance, noting the lighting, the models’ poses, and the photographer’s directions. Then, we had a mini Q&A session with the photographer and listened to his tips on how to break into the industry. It’s one word: connections. Soon it was sixth period. Mark and his team arrived, and I put on my acting. I was an intern, not a fan. We followed as he reminisced about his old lunch spot, awed at the new science building, and played basketball in the North Gym with his team members. We learned that most of his team were his friends from Arcadia, from before he was famous. That really proved how long relationships you make in school can last. Some of my friends now may be my closest business partners in the future. In the rally court, there was a moment when we asked Mark about his time at Arcadia. He talked about being a mediocre student, playing volleyball, and getting scouted at a lunch table. I pretended I didn’t already know all this and even asked which middle school he attended–as if I wasn’t fully aware it was Dana. It amazed me how “normal” he was. I realized then that celebrities are just normal humans just like me. After school, we headed to the tennis courts for more product photos and met with the rest of the interns. At this point, word spread around school because he posted on his Instagram story and even tagged his location as Arcadia High School. DCI continued to shadow the photographer and had more mini Q&As with the creative director, manager, and models. The manager showed us Mark’s schedule and it looked like there was not a single minute of rest in his week! The photo shoot started to wrap up at 5 PM. We took some pictures with Mark and his team (including the iconic BeReal picture) and had one more round of questions. He kindly gifted us his clothing line’s beanies and caps as well as Lee’s Sandwiches. His entire team was incredibly accepting of DCI and gave us genuine advice. I am also thankful for Ms. Nuuvali and Mr. Foran for allowing us to be there that afternoon to learn about the entertainment industry and shadow photographers and videographers. On the car ride home, I stared at the gifted beanie and autograph in disbelief. My seventh-grade self with “GOT7” in my Instagram bio would never believe this happened. Meeting the President of Hungary and now a K-Pop idol…what’s next? DCI is truly full of surprises and once-in-a-lifetime learning experiences. Every semester, DCI opens its arms to applicants and potential interns. Once applications make it through the application and interview processes, they enter a probationary period of four weeks. During this period, each intern, or mentee, is paired with two veteran interns (mentors), who guide the mentee throughout their journey in the realm of journalism and digital communications! Mentors assist their mentees and introduce them to numerous skills ranging from how to operate a DSLR, cover events, and create professional LinkedIn profiles. DCI's mentee-mentor program allows for expedited learning and growth.
By Grace Lee DCI has been one of the biggest parts of my high school experience. But all the pictures I took, captions I wrote, videos I filmed and edited, posters I designed, podcasts I produced, and board meetings I attended were never a part of my plan until September of my freshman year.
By Sofia Nagy “That sounds interesting. Might as well check it out.” That was quite literally what I thought when I read that paper announcement hanging near the main office building as a first-semester freshman student. Without expecting much of my application, I was summoned for one of the most nerve-wracking interviews of my entire life, and before I knew it, I received an email that read as follows “...we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Monday, September 10, 2018, from 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. in the AHS Library Media Center. Congratulations, and welcome to #ausdDCI!” Surely enough, there I was on that sunny September afternoon with a myriad thoughts darting through my mind, not knowing how drastically I would grow and how many enriching experiences I’d be able to accumulate throughout the next 8 semesters of my life. Looking back at those 4 years as a graduating senior, I can tell you that they did turn out to be “interesting,” but they were much more than just that!
Two things that you will hear Mr. Foran repeatedly say throughout your time in DCI are: “Opportunity optimization,” and “you get what you give.” This internship is one of a kind because of the amount of freedom that it gives the interns in both the creative and time management senses. You assign yourself your own tasks, and you come up with your own projects. Can you do the bare minimum, do what everyone else is doing, hide in the back, and call it a day? Sure, you could, but you will promptly begin to observe how the peers who are always first to raise their hand, readily bring new ideas to the table, and go above and beyond rapidly develop their skills, become comfortable with the idea of taking risks, and transform into trail-blazers because they are putting in the work and effort. My advice to anyone who is a DCIer goes as follows: Do your very best at everything you do, but keep in mind that the only person you should be competing against is yourself. The more leaps you take out of your comfort zone, the greater your growth will be. Work and seriousness aside, the second point that I’d like to get across is this: Have fun! DCI is a professional internship with high standards, but it is one that also offers so many opportunities to develop friendships, grow closer to your peers, laugh when you finally figure out what was wrong with the camera, have an exhilarating back-and-forth event coverage run alongside a DCI buddy, and realize that DCI is a family. Don’t place yourself in a continual state of stress and frenzy, because the DCI family has your back, will be there for you if you need help, will not be mad at you for an honest mistake, and is a place where you truly belong! Well, that’s just a little bit about my DCI story and experience… go write yours! By Joyce Pang When I found out about DCI, I have to admit I was pretty excited. Finally, there was a program that encompassed so many of my interests- photography, graphic design, videography, website design, and journalism. Plus, it didn't take up a class period ( I was in a shortage of slots). I knew I had found a gem… but I really did not want to do an interview. Fast forward 4 years, I’ve been a manager for the website, DCI Instagram, and the Keepin’ It Arcadia Podcast Team— the LAST (and I mean very last) thing I thought I would do. See, when I joined, I had no intentions of broadcasting my voice on Spotify (I hated hearing my voice on video) or interviewing people (i mean hello? STRANGERS!!!). I was approached during one of my first DCI meetings by Jeffrey, an outgoing, well-spoken speech and debate/FBLA kid who managed the podcast. Jeffrey kept urging me to try a hand at the podcast team, and I joined, quite frankly, because he was so insistent and welcoming, and I, as a freshman, did not quite know how to get out of it (HAHA). Little did I know, joining the podcast team was the best thing I could’ve done for myself. Being forced to interview people for the podcast, along with other terrifying incidents (like the time I was voluntold to give an impromptu speech-EEK, or the time I interviewed Olympic medalist Mirai Nagasu -read about the incident here), DCI has pushed me out of my comfort zone multiple times. While this was often awkward and nerve-wracking, it has caused me to be (through small steps), a more confident person speaking in front of groups and making my voice heard.
That’s why I’m so happy that in my freshman year, when I was reading my application over for the tenth time, scared to Hades and back about the possibility of my first interview ever, I still decided to press submit. And that when uncomfortable opportunities arose in DCI, I took them (not always confidently, but I mean… I’d like to say it still worked). |
Blog Posts Written by DCI Interns and Alumni Archives
February 2024
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