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!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Blog Posts Written by DCI Interns and Alumni Archives
February 2024
Categories |