My dream job: a day in the life of a reporter

Fourteen gifted pupils participated in a mentorship program this winter at Austintown Middle School. Program mentors included a veterinarian, teachers, a graphic designer, business owners, a radio broadcaster, a pediatrician, an astronomer, a lawyer and a judge. Kaylyn Cypher, 14, chose to follow a newspaper journalist. Here is her experience.
By KAYLYN CYPHER
It was another successful year for Marcia Jeswald's eighth-grade gifted English pupils at Austintown Middle School, who recently completed their mentorship program.
Jeswald contacts people in the community who are in the professions that her pupils are interested in, and asks them if they'd be a mentor for the program.
"We've been very fortunate with all of the mentors who have been willing to share their time and talents," Jeswald said.
I was lucky enough to be one of the pupils to participate. In the fall, we took career assessment tests to see what jobs would play to our strengths.
My profession of choice was journalism, and Vindicator reporter Jeanne Starmack agreed to be my mentor. I followed her around as she did her job and took notes as we went to police stations, fire departments and township buildings of Canfield and Austintown.
I even got a crash course in news writing. I have two reporters notebooks filled with notes on everything; what courses to take in high school, new terms I learned, and observations on what a journalist's life is really like.
On the daily rounds, I met many people who work to make each community what it is. Everyone seemed interested in the program I was in, once they were sure that I wasn't training to be Ms. Starmack's replacement! Nearly all asked how I liked reporting, and my answer was always: "I love it!"
For my last mentor session, I went to an Austintown school board meeting and took notes. It had never occurred to me how many things need to be approved by the board before they can be put into action.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to go back to the newsroom and write the story on it because it was nearly 9 on a school night, and my math homework wasn't going to do itself.
In all, the program was an amazing experience. Getting the chance to live a day in my dream job has opened my eyes to so many possibilities for my future, many of which include reporting.
Jeswald has been working in the mentoring program for 16 years and hopes to continue it once the new school is open in 2007.