Falling in love in the newsroom

Rappler will accept new applications for internship starting this October 2012. Those accepted can begin working during the semestral break after an orientation and during the summer, as David Lozada and the first batch of Rappler interns did. Students with a different semestral cycle are free to indicate when they can begin their internship. Rappler requires submission of requirements as indicated on our site and commitment to complete a minimum 150 hours. 

I had my last summer as an undergraduate student. Before vacation started, all I wanted was just to relax, go out with my friends, stay at home or frolic in some beach or province for two whole months. I wanted to wander and satisfy the adventurer in me. I longed for the outdoors.

But this was not possible. Like many other college students, I was required to have an internship. I had to burn 120 hours of work in any media-related company I wanted. And so the search began.

I initially wanted to be in a broadcasting network. But since I already had an internship in December with ABS-CBN, I thought that I should try something else. I thought that since I’ll be working for 120 hours, I might as well find a company that will improve my journalistic skills.

Hence, I applied with Rappler. This is where my love story began.

Initial contact

I came to Rappler without fully knowing what the network does. To be honest, I only applied because one of my best college professors, Chay Hofileña, worked there. I didn’t know anything about the company. I didn’t even visit the site often.

I came to the orientation with an empty slate. I was thinking of only finishing the required number of hours as fast as I can so that I can have the rest of my vacation back. I never knew then that I’ll end my internship as a much better journalist and a more improved person.

On my first day, I was assigned to Palarong Pambansa. Since I’ve taken a Sports Writing class, I thought that I’ll be able to handle it well. However, I thought that I’ll only be doing research and “internship work” (i.e. preparing coffee, shred paper). I was wrong.

I was asked to write. While writing my first few articles, I was really in a state of panic since I wasn’t used to pressure writing. I really felt bad about how I wrote and the time it took me to finish an article. But it was a learning process. And later on, I realized that those moments of panic helped improve my skills as a writer.

Why I fell in love

I didn’t fall in love with Rappler because of the assignments, the exposures, the articles and the beat. I fell in love because of the people. It was such a humbling experience to be able to work with the best journalists in the country.

The people I worked with in Rappler, like Natashya Gutierrez and David Santos, taught me so much about real life journalism. They taught me that being a journalist is not an easy job but it was a job worth taking. They taught me more about journalism than anything I’ve learned in the classroom.

I was not merely learning about journalism as a concept. I was experiencing it. I was living it. Seeing my bosses do their work with so much passion and enthusiasm inspired me to pursue my dreams of becoming an excellent reporter in the future.

My co-interns also played a big part in my internship. We had each other’s backs whenever the deadlines got stressful or when we had just finished our stories. I have laughed and cried with some of them, especially those who were with me in the Palarong Pambansa.

Covering the Palarong Pambansa

This, perhaps, has been the best thing that has happened to my journalism experience so far. Covering the Palarong Pambansa taught me so much about the importance of having the nose for news. I experienced hardships, sleepless nights and stressful coverage.  Most importantly, however, is that it gave a well of experiences from which I can get inspiration.

The young athletes from Palaro showed me how much determination and hard work matters. These are kids who are miles away from home, kids who don’t have some of the basic needs, kids who came from very poor families. But yet, they fight their way to the competition. They do not lose hope or sight of their dreams.

I saw firsthand in Palaro the future of our country in sports. Yes, athletes from the provinces do not have the facilities and the equipment to excel in sports. Most of them do not have the financial capabilities. But they have their hearts, they have their passions, they have their skills – these are things that cannot easily be gone.

Palarong Pambansa, for me, is not only a jumping board for future champions. It is a meeting place for champion Filipinos who will fight for and with the country.

My hope in the Filipino youth, my generation, was restored.

Letting go

From the required 120 hours, I ended up completing 181 hours. It was a hard decision to finally end my internship. If I didn’t have any other commitments, I would have continued until classes resumed. I had no choice but to let go.

I took home a lot of experiences, life lessons, and skills from Rappler. The most important among these for me, however, was learning the value of “uncompromised journalism that inspires a thirst for change.”

I realized that journalism is not just a profession – it is a concrete way of effecting social change. It’s not just a kind of journalism that reports, it’s a kind of journalism that inspires, engages and creates ripples of change.

Rappler will always have a place in my heart. Thank you, Rappler, for giving me the best internship I’ve ever had! – Rappler.com