By CHRISTINE FREY
My first day "on the job," and I was late. What a way to make a great impression. I had left the house 15 minutes early just to ensure my timely arrival, but my lack of direction and unfamiliarity with my surroundings caused me to become hopelessly lost (Like I knew there was a difference between the Saratoga and Sunnyvale/Saratoga exits off Highway 280). However, two gas stations, one phone call and a half-hour later, I finally reached my destination--The Sun office in Sunnyvale--and my "Walk-a-Day" with a staff member on the newspaper began.
"Walk-a-Day" is a career exploration program sponsored by the Santa Clara County Girl Scouts that offers high school girls the opportunity to "shadow" an adult mentor for a day in the working world. I followed Anne Gelhaus, assistant editor of The Sun, and being that it was only her second day on the job, it was a learning experience for both of us.
After arriving at The Sun, I assumed one of the empty desks at the office and, using my journalistic skill of observation, scanned the small room. The cramped but comfortable quarters gave space to five desk areas, each one with its own personality. I was amused to find that the decorations and keepsakes adorning them ranged from a framed, autographed cover of the Sept. 15, 1993, issue of The Sun, which featured President Clinton and Vice President Gore's visit to Sunnyvale (the paper's claim to fame) to a cut-out mask of David Letterman's head.
My investigation was interrupted when I was given the task of writing school briefs for an upcoming issue. Feeling very "reporter-like," I typed the articles with alacrity. They were short and sweet, and it was not going to be a problem to meet that week's deadline. However, a fellow journalist whose assignments entailed much more work seemed to be having some difficulty. Writer's block, a fate worse than death, had set in.
When I'd completed the briefs, Anne and I visited the Public Safety office to look through the police log for story ideas. Unfortunately--or perhaps, fortunately--nothing turned up. With no leads to run on, we returned to the office, where I spent the rest of the afternoon learning the ins and outs of the newspaper advertising business while Anne learned the ins and outs of The Sun.
My "Walk-a-Day" experience proved very fruitful: It gave me needed direction on how to pursue a career in print journalism. Hopefully, I won't get lost again!
Christine Frey is a junior at Notre Dame High School in San Jose, where she is co-editor of news for the school newspaper, the Crown and Shield.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 10, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.