Three months, many stories, more shoes - Editorial Notebook

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It’s been three months since I wrote my last column, almost to the day. Just like that last time, the writing of this column marks a turning point in my life as a journalism student.

By the time this is published, I will no longer be an intern at The Western Producer. I’ll be preparing for my final semester of university.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m done with the last three months.

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The time itself is behind me but what I’ve done and what I’ve learned is not. And I’ve done and learned a lot in these three short months.

When I came here, I had limited knowledge about agriculture. Sure, I knew more than some people, but I was fully aware that there were a lot of things I didn’t know.

There are still many things I don’t know but that category has shrunk considerably.

I’ve learned bits and pieces about some subjects, ranging from what’s needed to raise an alpaca to the potential health benefits of purple vodka. I’ve learned much about other subjects, partly because of the amount of research I had to do to understand them and partly because they required me to identify things like brassinosteriods.

But, of course, facts relating to agriculture aren’t all that I’ve taken in. I’ve also learned a lot relating to my future career; things about the mechanics of the job. They will help me conduct better interviews and write better stories.

Finally, there are the things I’ve learned that fall somewhere in between the categories of agriculture and journalism.

For instance, if a certain intern is going to wear a pair of shoes designed for looks rather than durability, she should make sure to have a second set of shoes ready to be worn –especially if she is expecting to visit an orchard on a rainy, mud-filled day.

That’s where I am today. After three months, numerous interviews and a new pair of shoes, I’ve reached the end of my time as an intern. I still have a lot to learn and some of that will come in the next semester. But I think that most of it, and probably some of the most important things, will have to come with experience.

Thank you to everyone at the Producer and thank you to everyone I spoke with about a story.

Working with all of you has put me on a path I’m happy to travel.