Without a doubt, my favorite class at Rutherford High School was my newspaper class. My school was on a block schedule, and I went to newspaper class on even days. It was the last period of the day, and when the afternoon bell rang, I didn’t budge. I wasn’t in a rush to get home because I was doing exactly what I was passionate about – journalism.
I joined the staff of our school newspaper, The Rampage, during my freshman year. My first assignment was to sell ads to local businesses to fund the paper. And yes, I freaked out. I was shy and probably the least assertive person you’d meet. At that time I don’t think I could’ve sold a scarf to a Floridian in Alaska. But you know what? I tried. And tried again and again. Eventually, I did sell some ads. In the process I learned many valuable skills, including how to speak to business owners in a professional way and how to sell a product with conviction. Little by little, I gained confidence.
By sophomore year I was promoted from a staff writer to a page editor and edited stories and designed the layout of some of the pages until I graduated. Some of my best high school memories come from my experiences with the newspaper, including winning All-Florida Awards from the Florida Scholastic Press Association convention held in Orlando each year.
Our adviser, Chris Thomes, helped us understand that the reason we were in school was to be able to one day get a job we loved. He educated us about the different careers we could get by studying journalism. I loved my International Baccalaureate curriculum, but it was my journalism class that gave me hands-on skills I use in my job today. Have you made the connection between your classes and your future career?
Why not try that elective you’re curious about this year? You may just find your life’s destiny.
Ashley Cisneros, Editor
Florida Trend’s NEXT
490 First Ave. S., 8th Floor
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
http://www.floridanext.com/welcome/article_view.asp?id=513
–Ashley Cisneros
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Ashley Cisneros is a co-founder of Chatter Buzz Media, an Orlando Internet marketing firm that helps companies and organizations engage with their target markets through inbound marketing via the Internet. Chatter Buzz Media, which won the Social Madness competition for the Orlando small business market, is a full-service digital marketing firm specializing in website design, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing and content creation. Prior to founding Chatter Buzz, Ashley worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, technical writer, marketing manager, public relations practitioner and freelance journalist. To see Ashley’s content writing, visit www.ashleycisneros.com. You can also reach Ashley on her Google profile.
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