Education is a right!

The week started off with a bang with a Call to Action event. March 24th was the National Student Lobby Day and Rally. Groups members from the US Student Association and the Student Labor Action Project along with hundreds of students (including myself) marched up to Capitol Hill demanding protections for workers and students and an affordable higher education for all. It felt great to actually advocate for issues students are concerned about.

As March Madness is well underway, I’m sure many people have their picks of which team they want to win the championship. For women’s basketball, I picked UCONN to win it all (sorry Oklahoma), but one of favorite teams is Maryland. One of the locations for the first round games was in Maryland at the Comcast Center, where the Maryland Terps play their home games. I got a chance to go and watch Villanova vs. Utah and Maryland vs. Dartmouth. Thanks to my RA Chazzy--she was able to get tickets to the game. Both games were exciting, especially watching the Maryland game. They won by almost 30 points! The University of Maryland campus is huge, with over 34,000 students enrolled. That was the biggest campus I’ve been on.

I also had a great time recently in Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The museum is filled with wax sculptures of politicians and celebrities. The museum wasn’t free, but with half-price discounts it was well worth the experience.
My semester in Washington DC has been amazing. There’s never really been a dull moment here. I remember a guest speaker saying to never use the b-word…. bored, and I have still yet say it. Besides getting used to the cold weather that still lingers in March (and I’m sure into April), I am enjoying my stay in DC. The culture here is rich in diversity. Events, activities and attractions are accessible around the clock in DC--something to serve everyone’s interest. And knowing that I’m in the nation’s capital, an historic place, and could have a chance to see the president, first lady, vice president, members of congress and and other government officials at any moment is such a great feeling.

TODAY this is Erica

Which is what I say when I pick up the phone at my new internship with NBC's the TODAY Show. My final day at Tribune was Friday the 13th (yikes) and I started interning with the today show that following Monday. The new job has been a learning experience and so far so good. My responsibilities at the today show are to help with newsgathering, production, logging and dubbing tapes and to assist with interviews.

In comparison with Tribune, I would say the one disadvantage at the Today Show is due to a union contract interns can’t touch or operate production equipment. I can still write news stories; it will just be more difficult to put them together to complete my demo reel. I started a demo reel with Tribune that consists of two new stories that I’ve done, with stand-ups in the studios of Tribune and at the White House. But the Today Show will provide a greater chance to go out in the field with the reporters during actual news events. Overall I’m sure interning with the Today Show will be a great experience.

I recently went out to Capitol Hill with my supervisor to watch a live hit done by Senator Judd Gregg from New Hampshire. Matt Lauer from the today show in New York held the interview. Senator Gregg basically discussed his view points on how he thinks President Obama’s budget plan would burden the government with greater debt. Even though the headquarters of the Today Show is located in New York, the show also has a bureau in DC. The Today Show in DC covers more political and congressional news and events; whereas the show in New York covers more regional news events. Also some news events that are done in DC by the Today Show are sent to be aired by the NY bureau.

Not So Good News

A little over a week ago I was hit with some not so good news. My internship site, Tribune Broadcasting, is closing down their Washington bureau. That day at work was pretty strange. When I went into work (it was a Friday), I noticed everyone was there, which was out of the norm because typically everyone works different shifts. I sat at my desk as usual and saw that they were gathering for a meeting in the conference room. Usually, meetings are at about 5 pm each day, and are held to discuss the rundown of the news events. The other intern and I are allowed to sit in those meetings. During this meeting, though, they didn’t need me to attend.

Two very professional people I never seen before also showed up for the meeting. I continued sitting at my desk while doing some logging and wondering what was going on. Well, after about 20 minutes the meeting was over. My coworkers came out the room with a completely different expression on their faces. Some went to their offices to use the phones and some left the building. The mood felt really weird, and it was so quiet I could hear a pin drop. I noticed everyone was no longer doing any work and I was starting to get concerned. After a while, my supervisor explained the situation to me; everyone had two weeks before the place would be closed down.

He informed me that for the next two weeks I should get as much done as I could to put together my demo reel. He and my other coworkers were willing to continue to work with me in finishing my projects and learning as much as possible in the next two weeks. I felt really thankful for that, but felt sad too. I had just witnessed them basically losing their jobs and felt helpless.

The bureau closing also means I’ll be out of an internship, which sucks too. I really liked Tribune, the employees and enjoyed everything I worked on and learned from. For about a month, from beginning to end, it was a learning process, and I was looking forward to doing bigger projects and making more progress with Tribune. I’m very thankful for having had the opportunity to intern with Tribune, and I wish all of its employees the best.

For me, the hunt for another internship has been ongoing. My Washington Center program advisor has been doing a great job in her search, and we hope to land an internship soon. The past week has been a bit frustrating, but I’ve been taking these things--good and bad--as a learning experience (taking the advice I received at our initial TWC orientation). So, I’m sure things will work out for the best.

WOW HOW TIME FLIES

Pardon me; allow me to re-introduce myself… My name is Erica Taylor. I’m from Houston, Texas, another great big city. :) I’m a senior student at Rogers State University, in Claremore, Oklahoma (near Tulsa). I love sports (my favorite being basketball), traveling to new places and meeting new people.

I applied for The Washington Center because I figured it would be the best way to discover what area I wanted to continue studying in. At a crossroads between Biology and Communications, I felt TWC would be the best way to go. Currently, my major is Communications: Radio & Television. I knew I qualified for the program requirements, so I gave it a shot, thinking “hey, it won't hurt to try”.... and I was accepted! Thanks, to our campus liaison, Dr. Carolyn Taylor, for making this opportunity available to students at RSU.

Adapting to DC life has been a gradual process. The biggest thing I've had to get used to in DC is the weather. It gets really cold here compared to Houston. But that doesn’t slow me down a bit. I enjoy sightseeing, touring and capturing every moment with my camera any chance I get.

Now back to our regular scheduled program :)

Wow, a whole month has gone by since I first arrived in DC. Time flies when you’re having fun. A day at the National Geographic Society museum was great. The afternoon was spent looking at the prehistoric artifacts, scientific findings and different cultures. There was so much to see, but didn’t have enough time to view it all.

The mouth of a giant Great White Shark

Huge crystal

Every other weekend, the communication interns have what I call "Sunday dinners." We meet up with our advisor at a good but cheap restaurant, eat and discuss how things are going. Our last dinner meeting was at a restaurant called BD’s Mongolian BBQ. It’s an Asian stir fry restaurant. It’s like a 3 step process: you pick out your food, pile it in a bowl and watch it cook on a huge grill. My first time in a place like that and it was pretty cool too!

Interns at BD's Mongolian BBQ restaurant

The Media & Communications interns had the chance to tour Capitol Hill as well. The architecture inside the Capitol is amazing. We also visited the Library of Congress. It was a good day!

Communications interns

Inside the "Whisper Room" in the Capitol Building

Inside the Library of Congress

I love DC!

Quote of the week: Work hard and have fun!

A Good and Relaxing Week!

Well, after the first couple of weeks of learning how things work at my internship, things have started to pick up. The ongoing debate of the stimulus bill has been the big news at work and of course around the country. I decided to write and put together my first news story over the stimulus deal and I had the chance to shoot it right outside The White House. So I hope to post a video of that in my next blog. Still yet to see President Obama, though.

That's a lot of money!

Leaving The White House...cheese!

For the Washington Center, all interns had to attend the Civic Engagement fair. The purpose of the fair is to learn about various volunteering organizations and issues in society that may be of interest. I chose to volunteer for the HIV/AIDS walk awareness organization in efforts to raise the HIV/AIDS awareness in the community. I also will be volunteering for the Pro-Choice America organization, which is an organization that advocates for privacy and women’s rights to choose. There’s a variety of volunteering organizations that I’ll try to participate in for the experience.

My weekend was good and relaxing at the same time. I finally had time to slow down, and catch up with some homework assignments, get some much needed sleep and do some cleaning. Interns didn’t have to work on President's Day, so me and a couple friends took a trip to the Ford’s Theatre, which has been renovated and reopened a few days ago. It’s a historic theatre, used for staged performances and is the place that President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in. We were told that after Lincoln was shot, he was carried to a house across the street, which he later died in. We were able to get a tour of the actual site.

Inside Ford's Theatre

Inside the home in which Lincoln died

Capitol Hill

The roomies!

I Am Loving It!

The wonderful world of DC

The first day of work was basically an introduction to everything. My supervisor gave a tour of the office building, introduced me to other coworkers, gave insight on what the company is about and informed me of my responsibilities while interning at Tribune. I couldn’t wait to jump into things and get started. Before leaving work, I made my time schedule for the next two weeks. My supervisor is flexible so my time schedule fits to my interest. For the rest of the week, my time was spent learning about the editing systems on the computer, reading through the news wires, logging and sound biting, and getting familiar with my new coworkers and their names. Throughout the week, the big discussion has been about President Obama’s stimulus bill package proposal.

Thursday, I began my evening class: Media, Ethics and the Movies. After a brief class discussion we watched a movie called “The Front Page”. It’s a funny look into the newspaper business, where journalist will do about anything to make the front page. Our assignment was to find out the ethical issues throughout the movie. Thursdays will be my longest days with work in the day, and class at night.

Friday, I was able to meet up with Candice and her friends. We had a great night out in the town. Saturday, my friend Jasmine and I plans were to go to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, but by the time we arrived, the museum was closed. So from there we took a walk up and down U Street. U Street is an historic area known for its music and culture of the African American community. After a couple of hours, we decided to eat at Ben’s Chili Bowl. It’ a restaurant known for its chili dogs, half smokes and milkshakes. The line outside of Ben’s was long and around the corner. We met a woman by the name of Dr. Valentine, a DC native. She was pretty well-known around the area, so by the time we got to the door we were served immediately. I was amazed by the whole place because so many famous people have eaten here and more recently, President Obama. Let me tell you, the food was delicious and affordable! To top it off, Dr. Valentine paid for our food…. So nice of her. We ended up trading business cards with her; she had connects to a television station called TV ONE. So the networking process begins.

Admiring the work of art...hmmm

Sunday was also a good day too. My roommates and I went to few museums near the National Mall area. The weather was actually feeling nice, a good day for sightseeing. First, we went to the National Air and Space Museum and then we went to a couple Art museums.

Giant airplanes in the National Air and Space Museum

Later that day I met with my advisor and other interns in the communications program for dinner at a fast food restaurant called El Pollo Rico. They mainly serve two things: chicken and fries….oh, and cole slaw if you want it. You get to chose from a whole, half or a quarter of chicken… It's the only place I’ve been to, with just that on the menu. But the food is really good, filling and affordable!

Media and Communication interns after a dinner outing

Unfortunately, I stayed up really late Sunday, catching up on my homework. One of my goals is to keep procrastination to a minimum…. But I had a great week!

Quote of the week:
“Carpe Diem”

Signing off,
Erica

Ooooh I Can’t Believe It!

Sorry folks, technical difficulties… Here’s my blog about my few days in DC!

Wednesday, January 28

The day had finally arrived and I couldn’t wait to get started. My flight was scheduled for 7:00 a.m. but because of the rain, ice and snow in the DC area, we were delayed for about an hour. I made it to Baltimore at about 1:00 p.m. and took a shuttle bus to my new residence for the semester. The apartments are called Grosvenor Tower, located in North Bethesda, Maryland. After checking into my apartment, I met my new roommate, Brittany. She’s from Boston and goes to school at the University of Massachusetts. She’s really nice and was helpful in getting me familiar with the area. Later that day, there was a building meeting for all the TWC students. I made some friends that attend Delaware State University; we’re in the same program (Media & Communications) and have class together. After a long day, I was still excited because I couldn’t believe that I was actually here and couldn’t wait for the next day.

Thursday, January 29

The first day of orientation for all the Media & Communications interns. Taking the train is common for people in the DC area. On the way to orientation it was my first time in a subway and riding on a train. I found out pretty quickly to stand to the right when using the escalators because people will just about run you over, trying to get by. Orientation went pretty good and didn’t last too long. I met a guy from Korea; he said his flight to DC was 24 hours and cost $1,500. Wooooow! I met my second roommate, she’s also from Korea. It’s been interesting discussing each others' ways of life. That evening I went out to eat with my roommate Brittany and some friends in the Political Leadership Program. I had a great time getting to know everyone and of course talking about politics.

Friday, January 30

The second day of orientation was for all TWC interns. I really enjoyed orientation today. There were some great guest speakers who were motivational. There were 5 things that I learned from them to keep in mind while I’m in here in DC.

1. Never say the b-word… bored; because there will always be something to do.

2. Become an active learner.

3. Apply what you've learned, work and impact your future.

4. Don't sweat the small stuff and look at the big picture; understand what you're really here for.

5. Consider everything good/bad as an experience; document and reflect.

I took note and plan on applying this advice to help make my DC experience even more enjoyable.

After orientation I took a trip to my internship, Tribune Broadcasting, so I’ll be able to know my way to work on Monday. Tribune is America’s largest employee-owned media company, operating businesses in publishing, interactive and broadcasting. Tribune operates basically in the major cities, one of them including Houston, my hometown. Their cable channel is WGN, and they are affiliated with FOX, CW, and ABC. During my internship, I’ll be doing things like writing, editing and putting together news stories, doing interviews, and helping the reporters and producers with newsgathering and production. My interests are to get into TV broadcasting and/or news reporting.

Saturday, January 31

What a day! It began with a trip to downtown DC. I went with a friend I met from Florida, named Jasmine. We’re in the same program and class. We first stopped into the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Next, we went to the Washington Monument. The view was amazing. Then we walked to the Lincoln Memorial. It was breath-taking and gave me chills looking at the huge statue of Abraham Lincoln, and knowing that MLK gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at that very location; and also how not long ago this same area was filled with people from all over, to see the inauguration of President Obama. After taking plenty of pictures we headed back to the apartment.

Well, tomorrow is the Super Bowl so I’m sure it will be a fun day. Go Steelers!

Quotes from orientation:

“To those whom much have been given; much is expected.”

“You learn from failures, not doing well, rather than having an easy coast to the finish line.”

Signing out,
Erica