By Maria Magana, Journal intern

Hello, my name is Maria Magana and I’m a senior at Friday Harbor High School. This year is my first time doing an internship with the Journal of the San Juans. So, to start things off. How did I even intern for The Journal? How did it all begin?

It all started when I was planning out my schedule for my senior year with our school counselor, Hailey. Since it was my last year, I completed the majority of the credits needed to graduate. I only had a handful of classes that I was taking in the upcoming year and at the school, it’s a requirement to have a full schedule. Since my schedule was pretty empty I figured I could do something to fill the gaps such as take more classes or other activities. An interesting topic that was brought to my attention was an internship one could do through the school. There was a set amount of hours one needed to complete and you needed to have a place of interest. From what I was told, many interned at places related to careers they were interested in. For example, if I wanted to be a teacher I could intern at the elementary school, or if I wanted to be a vet I could intern at the shelter. There was a plethora of options to choose from, which all boiled down to a decision I needed to make. Where did I want to intern?

For those who may not know, I’m very indecisive. I’m unsure about my future and what I’d like to pursue. Many think once you’re a “big” high school senior you are secure in your plans and know exactly what you want for your future. Well, let me tell you that is totally untrue. “It’s four years, you’ll figure it out!”, is what everyone would tell me. You have all the time in the world until you realize you graduate from school in less than a year.

With that in mind, I considered experimenting and chose a career that seemed interesting. A family friend of mine works at the hospital as a social worker. I had a talk with her about possibly interning at the hospital. I decided although I’m not overly interested in social work it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Once again, I went to Hailey. As I was going to finalize where I would intern she brought up something exciting. She told me The Journal was looking for interns from the High School. The moment I heard the word “journal” and “journalism” was like a million lightbulbs popped off in my head.

I love to write and that has been a conclusive statement since I was young. I’d have teachers tell me they love what I write and that I was always a little writer. As such, lessons related to English were always my favorite, and I also loved reading books. Something not many people know about me is, that I’d often re-write children’s books as my own. In elementary school, I’d take my favorite books, draw them out, and change the story to something of my own interest.

As a matter of fact, recently I had my past 4th-grade teacher reach out to me. She sent me a link to the first book I ever wrote. It was a book I wrote for my 4th-grade class based on one of my favorite book series as a kid, the Sisters Grimm. But, that’s a bit of history I’m not too keen about, since it was my first piece of writing I’m not ashamed to admit I’m very embarrassed about it. I mean, we all start somewhere, right?

Creating stories to tell to an audience through my own hands has always made me feel exhilarated. I hold a vivid imagination, thinking about how I want my stories to be constructed and flow. Although, a newspaper states the news and whatnot there’s more to it than that. Every article, page, sentence, and word holds a story that is woven together through the writer.

Which brings me to right now. I’m a senior and have obviously improved my skills since the 4th grade. I’m ready to take the next step and assimilate into a professional setting. I have the opportunity to write articles and see behind the scenes how a professional paper operates.

In general, this chance for an internship doesn’t happen often. Even though, I’m new and have lots to learn I’m ready to take on that challenge. I hope to enjoy my time here, learn all I can, and continue writing pieces in which a diverse group of audiences can immerse and enjoy themselves.