In just 11 weeks, I did all this and more during my internship at the Vancouver Business Journal.
As a former reporter for the University of Washington student newspaper – the second-largest print daily in the Seattle area – I came in to my first day at the Vancouver Business Journal with low expectations. My experience in the Emerald City included interviews with Julie Andrews, top university officials, pageant queens and police chiefs. How could a small weekly journal in my hometown top that?
As you can already see, my expectations were shattered.
But it wasn’t powerful politicians or wealthy “suits” that really made my experience rewarding. It was hearing the stories of small business owners, learning about your struggles and triumphs, and realizing that you have just as much to say as any government authority or famous actress – and that your voices are just as important, too.
This experience, I hope, has allowed me to serve the Vancouver business community as much as it served me. If you are one of the hard-working neighbors who have given this young reporter the opportunity to tell your story, thank you for opening up your business to me. If you are a reader with an equally significant but perhaps yet untold story, thank you for giving my writing a few minutes of your time. As it takes a village to raise a child, it took the whole business community to teach me what journalism is really about.
