My name is Dylan Santoyo. As of December 3, 2022, I have been employed for The News School (TNS) for 152 days, or about 5 months. TNS provides print and online news delivered through the voices of trained citizen journalists living in the communities they serve, TNS primarily aims to serve black and brown communities. TNS’ goal is to motivate readers with stories that can improve both their lives and the lives of people around them.
Starting Out
As far back as I can recall, my first day was pretty exhilarating thanks to our wonderful employer, DiMarcko Stephen Chandler. In addition to himself, he introduced me to Daylontie Jasper, Semetrius Holmes, and Chiagozie Onyewuchi. Soon after, DiMarcko gave us a pencil and a piece of paper and instructed us to write down which of the three programs — journalism, media broadcasting, or social media — we wanted to be in. Given my passion for writing, I used a pencil and chose journalism. Which was undoubtedly one of the best choices I’ve ever made. After we chose, DiMarcko, an expert in journalism, provided us with a wealth of information. The phrase “we serve the community” from DiMarcko, has always remained in my head because ultimately that is what everyone should do for their community.
Sheena Robertson
After a few days, Sheena Robertson, the most helpful person I’ve ever met, was introduced to us. She taught us a ton of useful skills, including how to add photographs, appropriately cite sources, format an article, and much, much more. Sheena was willing to help every participant in the program and still is, answering every question I have. She is one of the primary editors of TNS, which is another important fact to note, and an extremely hard worker.
It Was Rough
To put things into perspective, it took me 2 weeks exactly to get my first article published.
For the first couple of weeks, I struggled because I was at a loss for what to do. DiMarcko noticed this and acted like “Master Splinter” from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” guiding my path to finally, as previously indicated, get published on TNS. In my opinion, this shows that TNS did not give up on me. Soon after, things were a little bumpy; getting published was hit-or-miss. Occasionally, I’d get posted, and sometimes I wouldn’t. Eventually, Sheena tightened up my screws and helped me reach my current level of proficiency.
TNS’ Civic Engagement
Final Words
I’ll leave you with this, TNS is a fantastic first job or job in general. You should take advantage of the chance to write for the journalism team or work on the social media team. For those who’d rather be in front of or behind the camera, broadcasting is for you. I made the decision to join the journalism team, and I couldn’t be much happier.
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of The News School
Inset Image Courtesy of The News School
