Timeless Experience

Looking back over my last two years of progress as a journalism major, my memories stray back to the moments of fun, anxiety, bewilderment and uncertainty that I have experienced.


Being a student of Journalism and Mass Communications has brought me close to people I can identify with, helping to reaffirm that perhaps I had chosen the right major among the many disciplines that had interested me. Of course, as any college student can relate, some class days feel more beneficial than others. Between the anxiety of major test days and final papers often lay tedious assignments and the inefficient use of class time. It’s not a problem unique to the University of Northern Colorado, but an accepted institution-wide fault that makes the student wonder if his time could be better spent buying books and implementing theories outside the classroom. But there is still much to be learned during these days and a new JMC major would be wise to show some patience in class and supplement assigned work with independent study on topics that he or she has a thirst for.


The JMC program is a comprehensive one that includes every relevant detail about the news and editing process. My final course, Advanced News and Featuring writing, has given me the personal assurance necessary to feel confident in the skills that I can offer to prospective employers. For that reason alone, I consider the JMC program as a success.


One elective of the JMC program that comes highly recommended from faculty, an internship, I would consider mandatory. With recent newspaper foreclosures, such practical experience gives students the leg-up that they need to enter an industry that is extremely competitive and constantly reshaping. Because of this, classes also seem quite flexible. I was pleasantly surprised to develop and learn online news-writing skills by starting this blog in my capstone class, an assignment added midway through the semester.


Overall, I would consider my time spent as a JMC major at UNC very productive and the skills I have learned a real value.

Assumptions and Reflections

My second story, a day-in-the-life story of Jason Evenson, the technical coordinator of the Union Colony Civic Center, reaffirmed my suspicions of the backstage environment. The backstage is a quiet place between shows. The loading dock and long halls marked with a chain of overhead florescent lights are out-of-the-way places that would be almost drab if not for little remnant’s of past shows hung on the walls and the anticipation of future events. But when a show comes to town, it is D-Day for all those involved at the UCCC.

As was the case with my last story, the amount of information I gathered – from observations, quotes, reactions, and deeper thoughts – far outweighed the room allotted for this story. But the same kindness that was showed to me by other members of the UCCC faculty and volunteers also extended to the folks I met for this story. The information gathering process provides such valuable insight into the life of the people I shadow, that it is always difficult to boil down all those qualities into a single topic.

An Outsider's View of an Insider's Job

Because this blog focuses on faculty at the Union Colony Civic Center, who are often out of the public eye, my first profile story introduces Mari Hein, the ticket services coordinator. Hein takes joy in being out of the limelight, she is happiest quietly watching from behind the scenes as all the preparation she has done unfolds at the beginning of a show.

I expected that condensing the information I gathered in preparation for writing this profile would be difficult, and that it was. Through writing and rewriting I was able to pear off extravagant words and redundant sentences. But, the very thing that made it difficult – a mountain of information, also sheds light on the personality of Hein and the rest of the theater facility. She is representative of many in the theater, who share great enthusiasm for their often-unseen work and are open and willing to share their experiences with interested observers.

My research and observations taught me what is necessary to make the smooth transactions at the ticket windows a reality. At the same time, asking more questions, spending more time and altogether becoming more integrated into the theater’s day to day operations would provide an even more honest, insiders look.