Sam had asked me on Wednesday, “So, is this what you had expected?” I answered him honestly that this was not what I had expected at all. Two weeks ago I was finishing my last week at KCDO, and I had two and a half weeks of unemployment ahead of me until I begin at my new job. I was planning on two and a half weeks of doing nothing. My friend had sent me a link while I was at work one of my last days; it was the application for NPR’s Next Generation Radio. I applied, not thinking much of it, as I have found it is impossible to get a response from most employers these days. I was pretty surprised when I made it past the first round, and then surprised again when I made it past the second. When I saw our schedule for the first time posted in Slack, I was shocked. I had no idea what I had signed up for. Once we started, I was so glad I had accepted. 

I realized that this could not have come at a better time in my life, when I really had nothing else going on and could give it my full attention, with no other schedule to worry about.

It has been such a great experience for me, working with Sam, and everyone involved in this program. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much everyone genuinely wanted to help me and wanted me to succeed. It wasn’t an option for me not to finish, or to fall behind. The checklist every day was extremely helpful to keep me on track, and I felt like each day I chipped away at more and more to reach the final goal: publishing. 

I’m so thankful to have been chosen to do this, and I truly did enjoy all the long hours and stressful moments that made up this experience. I can’t wait to see where this experience will help me go next!

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