The leap into the life of a reporter

Reading blogs already posted by other Chipsters, I was struck by the descriptions of various assignments most have undertaken this Summer. From rodeos to sports tournaments to Elvis look-alike contests, everyone seemed to be fascinated by the diversity of people and places they've been able to see within the internship's fleeting weeks.

I have to admit, I'm no exception. Within a two month frame, I was able to inhabit life after life after life, jumping from story to differing story like an episode of Quantum Leap (a sci-fi show from the ‘90s I highly recommend).

On one assignment I was a marine biologist, observing turtle tracks on the beach and noting the distinct shape of loggerhead turtle nests. On another, I was an ecologist in a lab testing ocean waters for signs of the toxic red tide algae. I've been a private eye, tracking down leads to investigate a homicide, and an explorer, riding in a helicopter across beautiful islands and trudging through swamps in sweltering heat to find mosquito-breeding grounds.

I've learned through this internship that, as journalists, we'll always be required to soak in a bit of all fields of knowledge, never knowing when we'll be called to change from a simple cop reporter into a medical expert or historian. And of course, this makes me proud that I've chosen the most versatile, mind-expanding, dynamic career that I could have.

-- C. Joel Marino, Florida International University, The News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.