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What happened when a Scholar embraced change
By Charles Menchaca
Special to chipsquinn.org
Posted: Feb. 21, 2008
Charles Menchaca |
He said what?
I was not even halfway through
my internship at The Wausau Daily Herald when an editor asked if I would
like to be a sports reporter at the paper.
Apparently, I impressed somebody
in that first month or so as a general-assignment reporter.
But sports? While I do catch the
occasional college basketball game, I'm not exactly a sports nut. I'd never
even covered a game before.
The editor saw where I was
coming from and understood that I would feel out of place. Then I asked him about
filling a vacant sports copy-editor position.
While I hadn’t written sports
stories, I had read plenty of them from my two semesters as a copy editor for
my college newspaper. The job also seemed appealing because I knew I could
improve my writing, and copy editors are in demand everywhere.
I got the job and began my stint
on the sports desk. As a recent college grad, I embraced the night schedule.
Proofing pages and reading wire stories gave me a crash course in professional
and local prep sports. The sports staff was fun and helpful to this rookie, and
I was grateful.
Just as I was getting
comfortable, the education reporter, Beth Burger, found a job outside of Wisconsin. (Sidenote: Burger's connection to fellow Chipster and University of Illinois alumna Angelica Herrera made me feel more at home as I started my internship.) An
editor asked if I wanted to take her place. While I liked my new gig, I knew
that the education beat would bring a wealth of stories that would challenge
and enrich me.
After only three weeks on the
desk, I left sports.
I am glad that I tried something
new in the newsroom.
Those few weeks on the sports
desk made me realize that I could easily become a copy editor, amateurish
design skills and all.
I know now to be open to any
opportunities in journalism. I just never know where they're going to take me.
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