Working on UNITY News made her more resilient, staffer says

A Northwest native, Amy Phan graduated from Seattle University with a bachelors degree in journalism in June 2008, interned at seattletimes.com and currently works for GoodSide Studio Productions. She hopes her experience in a diverse number of media platforms will help her land a content creating journalism job. She was one of the 12 student journalists part of the UNITY News 2008 online team.

By AMY PHAN

There’s this idea out there called epistemological obstacles – mental and physical divisions in our way of being, believing and knowing so we can comprehend the world we live in a little bit better. Sometimes, though, certain situations shatter previous notions and present an entirely new paradigm to follow and understand.

For me, UNITY was an epistemological rupture. My previous perceptions changed. In a week’s time, UNITY News pushed me to physical and mental exhaustion. I worked harder, wrote more and had more responsibility than I’d ever been given. The passion of my editors, the talents of my fellow student reporters and the high standards of the newsroom guided me through it all.

At UNITY News, I got the opportunity to showcase my skills, work with generous mentors and learn a few things about myself, too. Being part of the online team truly challenged me to think outside of the box when it came to storytelling.

I feel stronger, tougher and more resilient because of UNITY. As I move forward in my career, I strive to look for the same kind of excitement, dedication and guidance that ran amok in the UNITY newsroom. The convention inspires me to search for a newsroom where editors are invested in my growth, reporters from all backgrounds participate during meetings and genuine laughter can be shared.