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Reflections

Trust your gut

I applied to Next Generation thinking that I knew what to expect. I was used to going out, interviewing people and editing to meet deadlines but I truly did not know what was in store for me.

The first day went by smoothly. I thought it wasn’t going to be as hard as everyone makes it seem. Second day, I started feeling it.  The eight hours I spent writing and editing went by extremely quickly. I felt as if I did not have enough hours in the day to get everything done.

By the third day, I felt as if I wasn’t going to leave the newsroom until midnight. I learned that at some point I needed to just step away from my work, get rest and come back with fresh eyes. By the fourth day I felt like everything fell into place out of nowhere.

This workshop has been extremely challenging but I would do it again if I had the opportunity. I recommend that anyone who is interested about either storytelling or journalism, to go for it. BELIEVE EVERYONE when they tell you, you will be challenged but it’ll be worth it.

By Andrea Tanchez

Andrea Tanchez is a Guatemalan-American journalism student at California State University, Northridge. She graduates May of 2020 with a bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Japanese. She is the executive producer for Valley View News for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020. Andrea is interested in stories that deal with immigration and other international news.