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Grateful for the PRESSure

animpressiveexperience

By Joyce


Tap tap tap. With earplugs in their ears, reporters begin typing away in silence. Sounds of chips being crunched and soft whispers fill the air. Looking around, people stare into their screens, working hard to meet the article deadline: 12:00 sharp. I quickly get to it as well, researching and working hard on my share of the article. The Editors seemed intimidating at first, but soon I learned that they were nice and always eager to help. They would check on the reporters once in a while to ask us how we were doing. When they got to me, I would always hesitate and then say “not bad”. Deep inside, however, I was frustrated.

I had no idea what was going on around the world. There were bombings in Baghdad? The haze? Why is Donald Trump so popular? What? Why does everyone know this except me? I was so ignorant about the issues that I couldn’t articulate the topics well. All my sentences were choppy and far from fluent. Everyone seemed so professional and some reporters were even done by 11. The volume of voices slowly increased and people started to sing and dance, while I was still glued to my seat. I was aware that the clock was slowly ticking away, but I continued to struggle with piecing my paragraphs together. As the deadline closed in on me, it became more and more stressful. Soon, my partner would be done with her part and she would end up having to help me. I felt guilty and terrible, but I needed all the help I could get. When the articles were edited, there really wasn’t even one sentence that was entirely my own. It was that bad, and this ended up recurring day after day.

The realization was a hard slap in my face. I thought I was ready for my job, but it turned out that my skills were insufficient. Disappointment ripped through my heart. Everyone was miles ahead of me. It felt like a race that I would never catch up to. However, I soon came to view this as an obstacle I could overcome. I needed to step up my game and try to patch up my holes. A lot of effort would be needed to push myself to another level, but I was ready for it. How can I not be when I’ve just been challenged by everyone? One day, I’ll be able to reach them and show what I’ve got to offer to the Press Team. I’ll sing along with them and write like I’m partying. Even though these four days of THIMUN have been a real shock for me, I’m grateful for this impactful experience. It is definitely one of the best and most unforgettable learning experiences I’ve ever had. Obstacles will continue to knock me down, but I will refuse to be defeated.

Dear Joyce,

We have really enjoyed your time with us on the Press Team! Believe us when we say that everybody’s fluency and ease of coming up with ideas is not, in any way, an instant gift – it’s simply a byproduct of coincidental curiosity, which happens to build up over time.

Word-for-word knowledge of world affairs isn’t all that it takes to become a reporter, even out there in the world and in here in the Munity press room. Rest assured that your skills were what got you into this room, and your words on paper. We always stop editing when an author’s voice is being compromised – the words in all four of our Munities are very much yours and yours alone.

You’ve always been extremely receptive to our feedback, and as such you’ve been an amazing reporter to work with. We look forward to meeting you again in the near future, whenever that may be, and we cannot wait to read more of your work.

Much love,

Your Editors; Chloé, Saanjh, Jessica, and Daniel

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