Goodbye UNC and journalism program, hello real world

I will be graduating this Saturday. Overall, my time in UNC’s journalism program allowed me to become a better writer. Most importantly, I learned how to write concise and clear.

I was highly encouraged by many professors in the journalism program to get an internship because they told me that employers are looking for experience as well as education; consequently, I had two internships. Last summer I interned with Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family magazine and learned what it takes to publish their monthly magazine. I also learned more about query letters and online magazines. I am in the middle of my second internship at Group Publishing’s Life Tree Café. Basically, I am doing investigative reporting to find newsworthy people and stories to incorporate into their programs.

All together, the lack of classes and teachers was frustrating with the journalism program; the program is just very small. I wish that the program had an emphasis for magazine writing. I took a magazine writing class last summer, but I feel like overall I was trained to write for a newspaper, which I don’t want to do. I don’t feel that I was prepared by UNC to get a job for a magazine.  

I did like that I had to take electives with the journalism major. This forced me to gain experience with other areas of journalism, which I am now thankful for. I also liked the variety of projects I did throughout all my JMC classes. 

New businesses provide more jobs

Usually the majority of summer jobs are lawn care, babysitting, dog walking, car washes, lemonade stands and bake sales, but with businesses opening in Greeley, this year these will not be the only summer jobs. That’s good news for a lot of people, especially since it’s the time of year when graduates from UNC will be entering into the workforce. According to the Tribune, the U.S. job market has been on a hiring kick since the Great Recession, Weld County alone produced 900 jobs since last year, but March didn’t follow suite.

The slowdown didn’t affect Greeley businesses’ support of summer jobs. On April 5^th, the Island Grove Event Center held Weld County’s 32^nd free youth fair. This event helps younger people who want summer jobs as well as professionals looking for full-time careers. The Tribune article also noted that business that are hiring in addition to others that are not attended the event; this shows Greeley residents that it’s a good idea to turn in a resume to an ideal business even if they are not hiring.

Even though the job fair has passed, Greeley has some ongoing resources for job seekers. Teenagers, college graduates, young professionals and experienced workers can all start looking for jobs on the Tribune’s job page and Weld County’s employment website. Weld County’s website has other resources such as skill assessment tests, training programs and career counseling screenings. In addition to websites, it’s beneficial to visit appealing businesses and give a paper resume.

Take advantage of Greeley’s recent growth in businesses. Get motivated by knowing that more businesses opening in Greeley means more job openings too.

Glimpses of Greeley

            Covering Greeley businesses has allowed me to write several pieces about individual businesses as well as a piece about the Greeley area as a whole.

            I started out covering the creation of the creative district downtown. I found out that Greeley is combining districts and getting more funding to improve Greeley. I really liked writing this story because it allowed me to get a broad picture of my beat. I would like to do a follow up story to tell about the new district's most recent news. 

            After writing a general story, I was able to focus on a specific business, Batter Up Cakes, by writing a day-in-the-life story about the business and the owners. This story was a neat way to get the inside scoop about a new bakery in Greeley. I was able to see how much time and hard work goes into creating a new business by spending a good amount of time at the location. This story was published this week in The Mirror, UNC's newspaper.

          Most recently, my beat took me to Café Panache, which is another business downtown that just opened. Having a video assignment that goes along with this profile story has enabled me to shoot fun footage about making crepes. I plan to focus on the owner for the video and the actual business for the written story. I wish I knew more about France because I would be able to recognize more of the French themes throughout the café. 

            The last piece I will write for my beat will be an opinion column. I am excited to write a story with my voice. This piece will allow me to combine my observations from covering Greeley businesses throughout the semester to give readers a better picture of downtown. 

Creative Happenings on Fridays

It sounds almost dreamlike for Greeley residents to stroll around downtown galleries looking at local art. The Greeley Downtown Development Association started organizing a night like this years ago. It began with just a few businesses and local art, but now it has evolved to a variety of businesses doing poetry slams, concerts and art.

Administrative assistant for the DDA, Mandi Huston, said that 12 to15 businesses downtown partake in First Friday, A Night of Art. Once a month, participating businesses come together to promote the art and entertainment of Greeley typically from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“It’s a night that allows for businesses to stay open longer to catch the late night crowd,” said executive director of the Greeley DDA Pam Bricker.

Some of the artwork showcased tomorrow will even permanently be a part of a business; adding to the French ambience of Café Panache, two local artists added graffiti artwork found commonly at the Paris Metro to the hallway leading to the bathrooms.

With so many participants spread across Greeley, the event targets a variety of demographics. Tomorrow night there will be photography at the Atlas Theater, jazz and paintings at Café Panache, rugs at Doug’s Hang Up, glass art at The Dragon’s Cache and textile handicrafts at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

“I like the Bean Plant Studio for the interesting and eclectic array of excellent and affordable art against a backdrop of beautiful old wood and brick. I am usually greeted with a cup of tea and time to soak it all in,” said councilmember Donna Sapienza.

Huston also said that in the future the DDA plans on creating a map of all the participating businesses each month to make it easier for residents to enjoy the artistic expressions of downtown. 

A writer’s foundation

Having this blog will allow me to gain more experience blogging. At the end of the semester, I will be able to tangibly see my improvement in writing throughout the semester.

My years in college have helped me grow into a better writer. My first taste of journalism was writing for the Veritas, Colorado Christian University's newspaper, my freshmen year of college; it was during this time that I realized my passion for writing.

Last summer I did an internship with Thriving Family Magazine. This internship gave me a lot of in print and online writing experience.  Fall semester of 2011, I covered Greeley City Council and published the stories on my blog for class. Currently, I am the editor for the monthly newsletter Spilling the Beans at Zoe's Cafe.  Being in charge of this newsletter has taught me a lot about layout and design.

I like the idea of blogging because it is a way for me to get my work out there in the world.  It scares me a bit that potential employers can read it, but I am confident that this blog will be a success because it is interesting, timely and relevant.

Although I have covered the city council beat, I am excited to get new opportunities and meet interesting people while covering this beat. By covering new businesses in Greeley, I expect to learn a lot about what makes a business thrive.