Although I came into Coaching Detroit Forward’s Journalism Camp with an idea of the issues I wanted to solve and the fields that interested me, my experience with the camp empowered me to both pursue a previously daunting career path and develop a new passion.

As a Mexican-American student, the struggles of immigrants and marginalized groups in the United States have always been especially important to me, and I always figured my career path would reflect this. Regardless, my lifelong interests in reading and writing motivated me to apply to the journalism program, and my acceptance was a pleasant surprise. At first, I had doubts about whether journalism was for me. Our meetings with journalists and college professors helped me to gradually feel more comfortable and learn about the broadness of journalism. I realized that I could reconcile journalism and my own interests in marginalized communities by writing about them and spreading the word about their issues. So, this was the approach I took. I chose to write an article about the inaccessibility of legal services, and, gradually, everything fell into place. The anxiety I feared facing in an interview melted away when I realized that it’s hard to feel anxiety when discussing something you’re passionate about. My anxiety about writing a piece that is more akin to an essay than an article was alleviated through my meetings with advisors that offered constant encouragement and reinforcement.

I found that I got to not only talk and write about my interests, but learn more about them, too. As I interviewed an attorney, a teacher, and an undocumented immigrant, I realized that so many of the issues that plague our communities are not coincidental, but products of a systemic disregard for disadvantaged communities. I realized that, if I wanted to make the biggest impact possible, a career in public policy and government would be most effective. I also realized the importance of journalism, not only for those that read, but for those that write. Writing is an outlet; it allows you to inform, explore, and learn. It gives people a platform to voice their concerns and interests, and having a voice is simply empowering. It can make a position in government go from a far-away dream to a potential reality. This newfound appreciation motivated me to pursue a position in The Michigan Daily, where I now work as a primary editor.