Helping women and minorities into newsrooms since 1993
Helping women and minorities into newsrooms since 1993
When I talked to SJI alumni Kyle Goon and Josh Tolentino in the lead-up to this year’s bootcamp, they reminisced about their experiences. Both agreed it was a whole lot of fun, but challenging.
After just one day of SJI’s virtual boot camp, I can attest that it is still very much the same thanks to Mr. Leon H. Carter — even with the added wrinkle of a virtual portion.
The sports check right out of the gate really drove home what these next few days have in store for us. We aren’t here to hear our praises. We are here to be challenged and pushed out of our comfort zones to become the best versions of ourselves.
I didn’t think it was possible to walk away from just one day’s worth of events with so many words of wisdom. Yet, I have. In fact, it’s made me worry that I might actually run out of pages in my notebook when just yesterday I was wondering if I should’ve downsized to a smaller one. Every guest speaker, along with the plethora of alumni we met at the end of the day, left me with a different lesson that I’ll likely remember for the rest of my career.
The most memorable advice I received came from the dynamic duo of Jerry Brewer and Gary Washburn, who advised us to write as if there might not be another opportunity. The two of them warned us about the sacrifices we might have to make if we want to achieve greatness. Ultimately, they said, it comes down to whether or not you want it enough — whether or not you love it enough.
Do I love this enough?
Well, today, I celebrated my 22nd birthday with a full day of boot camp. And I’m walking away with no regrets about how I spent my time. So yes, I’d say I definitely love this enough. And I can’t wait to see what the next few days have in store.
--Vivian Yao