erikaaaguilar
  • Home
  • About
  • Work
    • Recently Published
    • Radio
    • Mentoring
    • Projects >
      • Running Cuz It's Hard
  • Journal
  • Home
  • About
  • Work
    • Recently Published
    • Radio
    • Mentoring
    • Projects >
      • Running Cuz It's Hard
  • Journal
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

10/2/2016 0 Comments

Speed mentoring at Cal-State Northridge

Picture
October 2, 2016
​
​I get mistaken for a college student a lot. My passive solution to this is to keep a very basic, traditional wardrobe. So, when I was invited Wednesday to participate in a speed mentoring event at Cal-State Northridge, I felt confident my navy trousers, plain white top and brown leather bag would communicate "adultness."

"Hi. What's your name," asked the woman at the check-in table. I answered. She asked if I registered for the event because I wasn't on the list. 

I could feel the heat of embarrassment rising in my neck. Had I arrived too late? (There's some adulting for you.) Maybe they were unimpressed with my work, dropped me and hoped I wouldn't show. I started to mumble about some email invite I got a few weeks ago but then, the nice CSUN student who escorted me from the parking garage to the student center, saved me: "No, no," she said. "She's a mentor. A professional journalist." 

The woman apologized. "I'm sorry," she said. "You look young." I smiled defeated. So much for the basic wardrobe trick. 

After that, I started to question what wisdom could I impart. These college journalists were probably social media stars. Millennial go-getters with video skills I envied.

I walked into the ballroom, anyway. (Technically, I shoved a cookie in my mouth first, then walked in.)

For three hours, I answered all their questions, even ones I didn't know I had answers to!


  • How did you get to where you are?
  • What if a source doesn't respond to your request for comment? 
  • How important is social media?
  • Do you really have to brand yourself? 
  • Is writing important for broadcast? 
  • What is beat reporting? How do you do it? 
  • Can you look at my resume?

About 65 CSUN journalism students attended. I probably met a dozen of them. It was good fun. I realized I knew a lot more about online/digital reporting that I thought. However, the most important lesson I took home -- and hopefully, so did the students -- was that the fundamentals of reporting are your foundation. 

Tell a story with characters and conflict, with research and confirmed facts, with curiosity and good writing. It doesn't matter if it's on social media, TV or in a newspaper; solid reporting and good storytelling are at the heart of all journalism platforms. 

Oh, and I learned that basic clothing doesn't make you look older. But you'll always matc
h.

0 Comments

    Archives

    June 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016

    RSS Feed