By Jaz Gray

I had a great time during my newspaper internship, accomplished more than I thought I would or could, and was broke-down tired after my last day.

Working from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday was no joke, and although I know that I will eventually have a full-time job, I am glad that I can enjoy being young and in college a little while longer.

My first assignment at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., was to cover a press conference given by a politician. I remember being nervous. I quadruple-checked every name and quote because I wanted to make certain I started off on the right foot.

After that first day, I covered events involving many politicians. I originally thought I would like covering politics, but I can now say that this is the area of journalism I dislike the most. It’s basically wading through a lot of bologna to get to the truth and the facts.

Fortunately, political assignments were just one aspect of my job. I also got to write about subjects that interested me, including about a man charged with stealing about half a million dollars from his company, and about lay-offs, charities and education.

One of my stories made the front page, and I contributed to a breaking-news story about an unexpected flood that shocked the Louisville community. I also covered a back-to-school concert that ended in chaos, fights and arrests. So, I’d say it was a pretty well-rounded summer job.

The only serious downside to my internship – and it was serious – was the decision by my newspaper’s parent company to lay off more than 1,000 employees. Forty-four editorial employees were let go and, boy, was the newsroom a tense, sad place to be. The Human Resource department called laid-off staffers into its offices one by one throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the person supervising the interns was among those who lost their jobs. When I heard the news, my mind went back to a presentation he had given earlier about diversity, in which he had actually discussed lay-offs. He talked about being a minority (he’s Hispanic) and how minorities are statistically the first to go.

I never got a chance to say good-by to him, but I am glad I did not run into him after I learned the bad news. What could I have said?

All things considered, however, my internship was a wonderful opportunity. The experience taught me a lot about myself, including my likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. No matter where I head in my career, I will have had these experiences — and countless newspaper clippings — to show for myself.

I received a lot of help from editors and fellow journalists and feedback from readers. I also was able to help a lot of people in the community.

My internship was worth the time and effort I put in, and I feel blessed to have received it.

Jasmine Gray is a journalism student at Middle Tennessee State University. She was a Summer 2009 Chips Quinn Scholar at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. Gray has been a freelance writer for The Tennessean in Nashville and The Murfreesboro Pulse, as well a staff writer for Sidelines, MTSU’s student newspaper. This academic year, she is editor in chief for Collage, MTSU’s literature and art magazine. She is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, and has won two community service awards for her nonprofit organization called Jaz’s Jammies, which collects pajamas for ill and homeless children.