{"id":692,"date":"2021-09-24T12:44:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T18:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/?p=692"},"modified":"2021-09-24T12:53:41","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T18:53:41","slug":"taking-ownership-of-my-work-through-honesty-and-vulnerability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/2021\/09\/taking-ownership-of-my-work-through-honesty-and-vulnerability\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking ownership of my work through honesty and vulnerability"},"content":{"rendered":"

My experience with Next Generation Radio this week has taught me more than I could have anticipated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, I learned plenty of technical skills, like making fine edits while working with audio, writing tight, and organizing ideas. The skills and tools we\u2019ve used have already started to help me in my workflow as a journalist, and I\u2019ve seen improvements in my effectiveness. I\u2019ve still got plenty of learning to do, but I\u2019m optimistic and excited to continue my learning journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an honor to tell a local story, and to be trusted with Raul\u2019s words and experiences. The media has consistently failed in representing communities like his and who they are as a people. I can only hope I\u2019ve done West Dallas some justice and, at the very least, done no harm. I\u2019m grateful to have that connection now.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, I\u2019ve learned to trust my editorial instincts and take ownership of my work. I can\u2019t say I can do so unapologetically quite yet, but I\u2019ve learned to be assertive and apologize less. I\u2019ve been reminded numerous times this week \u201cthis is your story,\u201d and I\u2019m starting to internalize that sentiment. As an early-career journalist, I tend to think everyone else knows better than me. Imposter syndrome runs deep within my soul, but I\u2019m convinced it has no place there. We\u2019re all learning and working to improve. I\u2019m grateful to have participated in this program and to have learned that I can contribute just as effectively as my mentors and peers, and that oftentimes those contributions are also just as appreciated. I\u2019ve learned to ask for what I need, like space, time or clarification. Without a doubt, within the span of a whirlwind of a week, I\u2019ve already noticed my confidence as a producer, editor, writer, mentee, and collaborator increase, and I will do my best to maintain that reassurance in my abilities. I realize being upfront, honest, and vulnerable makes for better work, because the team is better able to communicate.<\/span><\/p>\n

The part of this week that has had the greatest impact on me has been the amazing collaboration. I\u2019ve been flabbergasted by the genuine support of my editorial team, and the entire Next Gen\/Texas Newsroom team during the week. Communication has been immaculate. Organization: pristine. Our team always passed the vibe check. It\u2019s been an honor to be encouraged to open up, grow, and to be surrounded by folks with matched ambition who want what\u2019s best for the good of the whole. I\u2019m especially grateful for my mentor Stella Chavez who has fielded numerous questions, given thorough explanations, and encouraged me when I was frazzled. I hope to one day give my time and consejos<\/em> as freely as she has. Next Gen is truly unique, and even 21 years in, still sorely needed and appreciated.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My experience with Next Generation Radio this week has taught me more than I could have anticipated. Of course, I learned plenty of technical skills, like making fine edits while working with audio, writing tight, and organizing ideas. The skills and tools we\u2019ve used have already started to help me in my workflow as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"coauthors":[18],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}