After spending almost 12 amazing hours with this group of people yesterday at San Francisco, I was ready to get to work today and make some even more great memories with them. In the newsroom, it’s crunch time. We have to finish both of our stories soon: getting final interviews scheduled, making final edits and creating something that we are proud of. It’s hectic and almost overwhelming to look at the list of things I need to do: I have emails to send, phone calls to make and people to talk to. But despite the amount of work that needs to get done, when I look around the newsroom, I see people having fun while working hard, funny stories being told and meaningful stories being shared. Everyone in this newsroom contributes their own personality and talent that makes this place such a wonderful place to be in.
This morning, I made one phone call to Jewish Family Services, an organization in Los Gatos that helps resettle refugees. They do everything they can to support those hoping to make a new life here — from helping them learn English and marketable skills to preparing them for job interviews to assisting them with legal cases. Last week, I talked with their executive director, Mindy Berkowitz. She was so inspiring. Just by talking with her, I could see her immense desire to help others with no strings attached and give other people a better life. From her, I learned more about leadership and compassion. I was so excited for the chance to return to Jewish Family Services with Will, one of the staff photographers, for the possible chance of taking pictures of the interactions between some of the staff members and refugees. I talked with a very kind staff member of the phone, who said to come at 11 a.m. However, once I went, we realized that there was a miscommunication. The refugees were uncomfortable with being photographed. I felt bad that Will had to leave empty-handed without any photos, and I felt bad because I felt like I was kind of “intruding” on Jewish Family Services. As a student journalist, I felt honored that I got to learn from them and hear about the amazing work they are doing to help other people. This was such a great learning experience. It made me realize that this is reality. Things won’t go the way you hope all the time. Additionally, it made me realize the seriousness of the topic I am covering. Refugees have gone through so much. And even arriving in this country, they are still facing so many fears. I feel grateful that I have the chance to feature organizations that play a role in helping them find a home here.