By Malashia A. Pringle
In January 2021, I transferred from Kentucky State University to IUPUI. Being a transfer student was a challenge since the university was unfamiliar to me and I wasn’t sure where I’d fit in. Coming from an HBCU was also a major culture shock as I went from heavily learning and being involved with African American culture and heritage to a PWI that was opposite in nature. Nonetheless, I stayed consistent in my area of study and found solace within the IU School of Liberal Arts. Fast forward to May 2022, I couldn’t have been more grateful to have received my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. My minor, Communication Studies, provided close concentration on the process of human communication and paired well with my Journalism education.
During my last semester of undergrad, Spring 2022, I was able to land an editorial internship with Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. I worked closely with a professional editor there who taught me fact-checking, pitching story ideas, and writing concisely. I ended my time at Indy Monthly by writing a short artifact piece for the June 2022 issue, which also included a contributor’s bio about myself and my accomplishments. Overall, the internship was a great opportunity to begin dabbling in the field of media. In fact, it led me to obtain a job with the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, the oldest African American publication in Indiana.
I became a part-time education/general assignment reporter at the Recorder. In this position I wrote, researched, interviewed, covered events, and networked with other media professionals. My time there was well worth it. My stories covered a wide range of topics. I covered education advocacy groups in Indianapolis and got to write a story on the singer H.E.R. involving her most recent album and tour, “Back of My Mind.” I was even able to attend her May 1st concert as a member of the press.
Although my time with both these publications has ended, I am thankful I gained real-world experience and was able to meet amazing people along the way. Moving forward, I’m not exactly sure what’s in store for me, but I do plan to continue pursuing my passion and developing my journalistic expertise. I also believe the best is yet to come. New beginnings are usually disguised as unfortunate endings anyways.