The following column is from Bridgette Gilroy, who is a new co-op student from Bear Creek Secondary School who will be doing her placement at BarrieToday this semester.
Hi, there! My name is Bridgette Gilroy and I will be the new co-op student writer on BarrieToday for the next few months.
I am a Grade 12 student from Bear Creek Secondary School interested in a professional writing career.
What better establishment to kick things off with than local media?
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity the Simcoe County District School Board and BarrieToday have offered me, and I am beyond excited to learn how the writing process works in a fast-paced environment, such as a news outlet.
Taking a co-op course as an aspiring writer, I knew it would be tricky to find a placement where I would gather useful information for future careers in that field.
Luckily, my teacher found many avenues for me to check out, finally landing on BarrieToday. From the moment I heard the idea, I knew this organization would be my top contender and I was eager to get started.
Journalism has always been a career path that lived in the back of my mind. I knew it was an option, but never fully considered it when thinking about my future – simply because I never thought myself capable of what it took to be a journalist.
Looking at the criteria, it all seemed like a lot. And, well, it is!
There are many aspects to journalism, some I haven’t even considered, that require a high level of attention, organization, communication and confidence that I aim to achieve by the end of my time at BarrieToday.
This isn’t to say that journalism is this big, scary industry that requires only the best and brightest (though some may say otherwise), but rather a fruitful place for the curious; those who enjoy chasing a story or learning more about the perspective of others, and that is what I like about this branch of professional writing.
While the news can be both informative and entertaining, it is also passion and education. Finding yourself wrapped up in a story, deep diving into a topic you can’t pull away from, digging for answers – these are the impassioned traits of writing that consume the reader and the writer. It is the aspect of the field we, as writers, chase after.
Going forward, you may find my name under articles about Bear Creek’s community (school events, sports, clubs) and hopefully branching out toward other schools in the district.
I am excited to learn more about the workplace that is professional journalism with the hope that, by the end of my time here, I will have a better grasp of the industry.
If everything goes according to plan, you should hear from me very soon!
