My Role ...

I realize that my work at this company is aiding in its development. My coordinator Kharisma once told me, “Promotions: we are the face of Kiss FM.” Working directly with the winners lets me know how important my job is. The interns have the most communication with winners. We can make or break their listening to the station. Our conversations and the way we communicate represent this business. One day, I made a listener extremely mad. He told me he was no longer going to listen to the station. Although he was complicated and very rude I still felt bad when he said that. It hurt. Thankfully, there are other listeners and winners that express their appreciation to me everyday. Winners like that excite me and make me want to be more involved. They make me want to go above and beyond to meet their needs. I really appreciate being appreciated. I know I’ve made a lot of people happy and at the end of the day that makes me happy. Satisfied listeners let me know I am important to Kiss FM and that I am doing my job right!

Memorable Qualities

Although I do not work directly with my boss, we do constantly engage in some type of conversation. She is constantly giving me direction. I have noticed she admires the qualities of consistency and precision. She wants everything done in the same way and there is a procedure for all tasks at the station. We must abide by these procedures at all times. When it comes to precision she wants us to be aware of everything around us. For example, she wants us to ensure all documents are in alphabetical order and make sure all winners receive their prizes. She accepts that we all make mistakes but I can tell she gets really disappointed when someone overlooks something and it results in a silly mistake. From this, I have learned that it is beneficial to work as a team with my co-workers. If we work together we can reduce the amount of mistakes we make because someone is always looking out for someone.

What Supervisors Value

Through my internship at IGE, I am finding that my supervisors value a number of different things from an employee. First, I am finding they value professionalism. The working environment is different from a social or academic setting. Each organization develops their own culture and accepted norms. It is important to adapt to this culture and do assigned work with the proper format and style the supervisors are accustomed to. Secondly, I am finding that my supervisor values communication skills. Especially in a busy environment, it is important to clearly state what your progress is on certain assignments and seek out the supervision when follow up is necessary. They often have other things on their plate and can’t offer a lot of oversight. Lastly, I am finding my supervisors value initiative. It means a lot when someone goes above and beyond the norms and works with a spirit of excellence. Also, it is important to show that you are willing to work and ask for more assignments when it is appropriate. This has been a great learning experience for me thus far, and I hope it will continue to help me develop in my professional calling.

Personal Branding

The idea of a personal brand is a new concept for me. I have never thought of my strengths and weaknesses in this way before. Nevertheless, my internship at IGE has helped me discover and identify the unique value that I bring to an employer. Working in my field of interest has given me the tremendous opportunity to find and live out my calling. Within this context, I have been able to work with a great sense of passion. Researching church-state relations, current events, and global affairs in relation to religious freedom is what I love to do. As a Christian, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction knowing that this work has the possibility of assisting people in more freely knowing and worshiping God. Also, religion, government, and law are what I am interested in. My passion for this work enables me to offer employers a dedication and commitment to excellence. Employers never have to motivate me to do something I love and am committed to. Taking the initiative to go beyond conventional expectations and truly making a difference for the betterment of others is what I hope to be known for.

I'm Still Confused....

To be honest I pretend like I am secure in my decision in wanting to be a journalist but sometimes I am not so sure. Being at 98.7 Kiss FM has definitely opened my eyes. I am now aware of the many other options that are available within the field of mass communication. What I am sure about is that I want to work in a media oriented environment.

However, I don’t want my interest in radio (and the positions I am learning about here) to overshadow what I initially intended to do. I can be interested in many fields but I don’t want to confuse those interests with my decision in which career I choose.

I am finding that I am good at taking action and speaking. My co-interns constantly express their admiration for the way I speak with our listeners. They say I have a way with words. So lately, I have been thinking more about broadcast journalism (my first love) and public relations.

I know that with God’s help I will soon realize what I specifically need to be doing with my life!

Great Opportunities

I have loved my experience thus far in Washington, D.C. Through The Washington Center and IGE, I have had a lot of great opportunities. This past week, during my weekly programming at TWC, I listened to a F.B.I. agent talk about his work experience. I found it really interesting to learn about white-collar crime and how the F.B.I. operates. I also went to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The interns at IGE toured the building and met with an attorney that works in employment law. This was a great opportunity to learn about law school, working for the federal government, and how faith can be applied in this context. I am really excited for next week as well. I will get the chance to go to The Becket Fund, which is a Washington, D.C.-based public interest law firm protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. This is exactly the type of work I would like to pursue someday. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn so much in my field of interest.

He Can ..

This past week at work has been very stressful for me. My first reaction to confusion is PANIC! I am still trying to figure out why I always react this way to trouble; it might be because I am a semi-perfectionist. It’s funny because scripture says, “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” When troubling incidents occur, I really don’t think about God like I should. I worry and rely on my own emotions. In addition, all of these incidents that I’ve panicked about have never resulted in disaster. God always comes through for me. I have nothing to complain about. I really need to trust that He has the power to fix all things. Whether it is a prize not labeled correctly or an email sent to the wrong executive, He has the power to make it RIGHT! “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Proverbs 12:25). I’m going to take God’s advice and cheer up!