August 15 marks the official end of my time as a USA Today College summer correspondent. Here are my (many) thoughts.
Fall down four times, get up five: how I got into the program
Flashback to a little more than a year and a half ago, when I was in the middle of my first semester of college: My good friend Gagan had linked me to the USA Today College correspondent program application because she had learned about it at school and thought of me.
The USA Today CCP is a three-month virtual program where correspondents research, pitch and write weekly stories while constantly communicating with the USA Today College team and editors.
Being the ambitious student and big dreamer I am (or at least try to be), I went for it. For the first time in my life, I wrote a cover letter – which took me a day to get perfect – and spent hours working on a resume. I sent three of my favorite articles from my beloved Crown & Shield days, grateful for two years of high school newspaper experience.
I made it passed the application processâ first round and was honestly overjoyed because 1) this is a program affiliated with one of the leading national publications and 2) at the time, I was just a freshman with little professional experience still in the middle of Journalism 110.
I didnât make it into the third round, and looking back now, I know I wasnât ready at the time. Iâm not going to say it didnât disappoint me, because it definitely did launch me into a period of self-doubt. Maybe Iâm not meant to be a journalist after all, I thought. But it wasnât enough to stop me applying four more times after that. Yes, four.
Spring 2014 was an incredibly busy semester because of the classes I took, my unprecedented involvement with the Daily 49er, and my participation in PAC, my schoolâs Pilipino American Coalition. Although free time became very limited and at times I felt I was stretching myself thin, I dedicated myself to these endeavors because they were all important to me.
Somehow, in the middle of producing articles, videos, and podcasts for three journalism electives and completing assignments for two other classes, working in the newsroom, and having four to five hour rigorous dance practices after class for PAC in preparation for PCN (Pilipino Cultural Night), I made time to apply for the summer term of the USATCCP. I didnât let myself get too excited when I made it passed the first round again, but I was overcome with happiness and pride when I found out I made it into the final round.
The third round – a phone interview with the USA Today College editorial board – took place at 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday. I was terrified my responses were inevitably going to be flawed because I had gotten home from dance practice around 2:30 a.m. and I had to work on school assignments until 4:00 a.m. Despite this, I pulled myself together and answered the questions to the best of my ability, although I wasnât sure whether I should be confident after the interview was over.
Here comes truth day: how I found out I was a finalist
April 28, the day of summer 2014 correspondent announcements, came both quickly and slowly. I had been checking my email every 20-30 minutes, eager to hear back from the USATC. Soon enough, it became 3:00 p.m. here (and 6:00 p.m. where theyâre based) and I became discouraged – I still hadnât heard back and it was already late in the day. Surely I hadnât made it.
And then I received an email from Patrick, which said we should have already gotten a response. Puzzled and a bit embarrassed because I thought I probably hadnât been selected, I sent him an email explaining I wasnât sure of my correspondent status.
Patrick then forwarded me this:
A life-changing email.
I was working on a story in the newsroom and immediately did a happy dance in my chair. A few tears may have been shed. Go ahead and call me overdramatic, but it was a very emotional moment for me: after years of trying to get into one of the best programs for a field I was increasingly learning about, gaining experience in, and falling in love with, I had finally made it.
After I let myself celebrate by myself for a few minutes, I finished my story and left the newsroom, excited to call my parents, who were just as happy, if not more joyful, as me. I texted my closest friends who had known how far I made it into the process this time â I am so grateful for their genuine love and support.
I then headed to dance practice, where I miraculously didnât feel any physical tiredness or muscle soreness for the first time.
It was one of the best days.
Walking the walk: how the program went for me
The last three months have been challenging in the best ways and I am so appreciative of this learning opportunity the USA Today College editorial board has provided me with.
My experiences with the Daily 49er definitely laid a great foundation for me to be successful into this program. Going from a contributing writer to staff writer to assistant editor last semester and specifically serving as the Daily 49erâs ASI (student government) beat reporter taught me a lot about writing, editing, interviewing, researching, networking, attending meetings, etc. constantly and by deadline.
Although there are many similar lessons I learned from writing for both publications, there were clear differences in style, audience, and topic range, which I tried my best to quickly adapt to.
I still vividly remember how disappointed in myself I was when my first story went unpublished, although McKenna, my incredible editor, said it wasnât uncommon for that to happen to first stories. It had holes despite my constant reporting and the hard work I put into writing and editing it. Self-doubt clouded my mind again. Great Justine, I mocked myself. You managed to get into the program and you canât even publish your first story.
But I continued to push and published my first story a week later.
Reading my stories among the countless other great articles on the USA Today College is surreal, especially since it has been a dream for almost two years. It’s also incredibly humbling to see people reading and sharing my articles, whether it’s on Facebook or Twitter.
Over the course of the last twelve weeks, I have networked with many hardworking media professionals and student journalists who share my passion; have interviewed university officials, project starters, researchers, leaders of organizations and agencies, professors, and countless students from all over the country, who deserve to have a place to share their voices.
I have received individualized feedback from USA Today editors and have witnessed improvement in my reporting and writing. I have become increasingly better at phone interviews. I am also better at maintaining a professional tone when sending emails and communicating via social media, especially with my editors, since I donât physically see them.
Additionally, Iâve truly learned the definitions of time management and dedication. While itâs nice to not have to relocate and work from home, it takes commitment to set your own hours aside and to make your desk at home your âoffice.â I think anyone can sit in a work office for a set number of hours and perform assigned tasks when a boss is nearby, but it takes a different kind of self-discipline to truly be in charge of your time and to get your work completed by all your deadlines.
It wasnât always easy and there were a few times I waited too long to send an email or to make a phone call, but Iâve definitely learned a thing or two about efficient and professional communication.
Learning by doing is a big part of being a journalism student and Iâm so appreciative of all Iâve learned with the USA Today College.
Moving forward: where will I go from here?
Although my time as a summer correspondent is over today, I plan on continuing to contribute to this great platform. In fact, I am currently in the process of interviewing several people for an interesting story I aim to have published by the end of this month. It doesnât stop here – it doesnât ever stop – and I will gladly contribute to the USATC for as long as I can.
I will take everything Iâve learned when I come back to the Daily 49er this school year and in all future endeavors, whether itâs another writing opportunity or simply a virtual internship for another field.
Thank you USA Today College Correspondent Program for all the important lessons – both in writing and in life – that youâve taught me and for most importantly the true significance of believing in myself and what I do.
I’d also like to express my gratitude to all my family, friends, and colleagues who have been incredibly supportive as well – your genuine faith in me means a lot.
To read all my USA Today College stories, check out my author list here.
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