Why I Report for ELi
I actually got my job with ELi completely unintentionally.
I was about to begin my sophomore year of high school at East Lansing High School, and I was on the staff of the Ceniad — the yearbook at ELHS — with a couple friends. One of these friends was planning on applying for East Lansing Info’s Youth Summer Journalism Program. She wanted a friend to take it with her, so she asked me.
I told her I’d think about it, but I didn’t think I would actually do it. After all, it was my summer break.
Then on the morning of the application deadline, she texted me to let me know I had a few hours to submit my application. I decided to submit and see what happened.
A few weeks later, I attended the first class for the program where I was informed that after this class, I could become a reporter for ELi.
I took ELi up on that offer, and three years later — now as a freshman at MSU — I am still writing and reporting for ELi as I major in journalism.
Throughout these last years of writing for ELi, I have gotten to know East Lansing, the City in which I have lived all my life, more than I ever had known it before. Through the people I interview and the stories I cultivate, I have learned that this town is teeming with unique stories, and that is something to appreciate.
One such story that I reported on was about the proposal to place historical markers at the previous home of Dr. Robert L. Green, a civil rights activist who was instrumental in the integration of East Lansing.
This article sticks out to me because it was an important story that I felt more East Lansing residents should be aware of, and as the reporter covering it, it was my responsibility to bring that story to the people. And as a life-long resident of East Lansing, researching for the article also taught me more about the history of racist practices in East Lansing — something I had not been taught in my 13 years at East Lansing Public Schools.
This story, and all the stories I have written for ELi, have been opportunities for me to do what I love while also providing information to the community, which is a rewarding task.
I believe that begrudgingly filling out that application for the program was the best last-minute decision I have ever made. Through this experience, I have learned and grown so much, and I know that journalism—telling people’s stories and informing the community— is important, rewarding, and the thing I like most.
And I would not have discovered that without ELi.
You can check out more of Amalia’s reporting here.
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