The summer I became a newspaper reporter

About a semester too late, I decided that I did not want to spend another summer half asleep on a lifeguard stand.

The only problem was, the current college and career climate requires you to know exactly what you want, the second you start your freshman year.

To my own detriment, I am a “figure it out as I go” kind of girl, so after a painful semester of focusing on nothing but survival, I had only a half-attempted application to a newsroom in Asheville.

Albeit that was only submitted because I wanted to keep my standing with the UNC Chapel Hill Honors program and pass their required class for career development.

So, in early May I had loaded up my black 2018 Chevy Trax, cruised the three hours up Interstate 40, and sat, jarringly unemployed, in my Marion home.

Within my two weeks of sitting around I received a rejection from the Asheville newsroom, to the surprise of no one.

I was so consumed by boredom that I developed a newfound passion for weightlifting and experimental cooking and kept a house full of teenage boys so clean you would think they had disappeared.

Then came my mother, who knows everyone under the sun, or at least how to network her way into a connection.

She had heard from a friend of a friend that there was a full-fledged newspaper newsroom in Morganton, that just so happened to have extended internship opportunities to college students in the past.

I called that same day, interviewed a few days later and became “Jayden Pupoh, Staff Writer” within a week.

The grey, plastic folding table that served as my desk sat me almost directly within the rolling chair path of The Paper’s Publisher, Allen VanNoppen. My desktop computer screen faced the entirety of the office.

If these were intimidation attempts to scare me off, they didn’t work.

On my very first day I joined municipal reporter Madison Lipe for an abnormally short, predictably entertaining, board of aldermen meeting in Glen Alpine.

The next day I was kidnapped (kind of) by Editor Emeritus Bill Poteat and given a thorough tour of Valdese and Drexel.

Soon I was diving headfirst into the charm of Burke County: interviewing parade planners, a Burger King retiree and his breakfast club, a brawny hemp store owner, and an extensive number of aspiring “finance bros.”

Some of my favorite moments this summer were during my assignments to take to the streets to gather answers for the “Question of the Week.” What was always intended to be a quick-answered assignment would turn into 15–30-minute conversations with people who always seemed to be searching for a listening ear.

Excitement for fall would bring stories from childhood, plans for Father’s Day would turn into reminiscing moments of when the kids were younger, a most listened to song became talk of the anxious feeling before an interview.

My favorite moments were when I was out “in the field,” but that doesn’t mean the desk-life treated me poorly.

The open concept of the office meant I could laugh at jokes that weren’t for me, hide my snacks from the office dog and executive vice president, Bo, and take in the type of gossip only local reporters who know everything and everyone could produce.

When I interviewed for the internship, I was assured that I would get a “full newsroom experience.” I’d say that my six published pieces mean that the promise was fulfilled.

Leaving here, I hope I’m remembered for my generosity, ($1 donation to the Western North Carolina Journalism Foundation), my work ethic (recognized by my honorable — definitely not self-proclaimed — ‘Intern of the Month’ title), and my explorative nature (abandoning work for a two-week school trip to Kenya).

Working at The Paper has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic and professional career. I have so much gratitude for every single person that makes up the newsroom’s staff.

I am especially grateful to Angela Copeland, the executive editor of The Paper, for her perfectly curated assignments. She ensured that I got the most out of my brief time here.

I was mentored, pushed to be a stronger writer, respected, and worked with in a way that many interns could only dream of.

This summer I temporarily joined the incredible staff of The Paper. This summer The Paper received 36 awards from the North Carolina Press Association.

Now that is going on my resume.