Invaluable experience

I can't write enough about what I've learned at this internship. I'm not sure if I want to be a journalist or even if I can be a journalist. But I have learned many valuable lessons nonetheless.

One of the most interesting things about my newsroom, The News-Sentinel, is that I've come at a time of transition. When I arrived in May, Knight Ridder had just sold the newspaper to McClatchy, which in turn put the Sentinel up for sale. There was huge uncertainty with everyone. A few weeks into my internship, the Sentinel was bought by Ogden Newspapers. But I didn't see that uncertainty leave. During my time here, I have seen and felt the transitions that many papers are going through or will go through. We're in a changing business. The only thing you have control over is your writing and reporting and the quality of them.

In Fort Wayne, I also observed some amazing things about this business. My boyfriend also is working this Summer, and every day for him is exactly the same. No day for me is the same. Every day is different. Every day I put my credibility on the line with my byline. Every day I am forced to challenge myself, and every day I make mistakes. I don't know if this is for me, but I don't regret this experience.

-- Victoria Edwards, University of Michigan, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Ind.