By: Henry W.
Well, it’s finally here. I’m leaving December 12th and this is my last issue as the intern for The Family Times. As I look back at my stay here at the Family Foundation School and the times gone by as a student journalist for Chris Stein, so many things come to mind: Commitment, routine, work ethic, anger, frustration, pain, fear, and sometimes even a little fun.
When I arrived at The Family Foundation School in June 2008, I never expected to remain in one class as long as I’ve been in this one. Out of the 17 months I have been here, I have been in journalism for 14 of them. And I certainly never guessed that I would have gotten the intern position for the paper.
The hard times I’ve had as a journalism student really helped me to progress as a man. I remember one time when I basically had a table topic during class. Chris was very dissatisfied with my work and the effort I was giving to it. He told me to stand up, and then proceeded to tell me, with a few choice words, that he expected much better from me. Much better. From that point on I can’t say that I’ve been perfect (who is?); however, I can say that I have given my best effort to many of the assignments Chris gave me. The feeling I got by giving my best was so satisfying, I even got an article about Myspace done. It was an assignment Chris had bugged me about every single day for months, and I did a good job. I was proud of the article, something I don’t experience too often.
As I continue to work hard in the class, I realized some of my potential. At that point, I knew I wanted to apply for the internship with Chris Stein and the newspaper. I continued to work my hardest so that I could prove I was ready for the position. However, when the new intern assignments came out, I was disappointed to see that I wasn’t going to be working for the paper. I was assigned a different position. To be honest, I was hurt and also very envious of the girl who got the job.
Surprisingly after a few days, I was called into Room 107. Chris sat me down and explained that he had some bad news. I was terrified. I didn’t know what to expect. He could have given me a week’s worth of dishcrews for all I knew.
Luckily he was kidding. The “bad news,” he told me, was that I would be his new intern. I didn’t know what to say, but I was thrilled. I wasn’t so thrilled when I found out I would be working by myself though. The semester before, Chris had three interns to handle the work; I would have to do it alone. But I took on the job and set out to do the best that I could.
Through this semester, I have learned how to work. I am nowhere near close to perfect; far from it, to say the least. I have gotten chewed out by my boss on many occasions. Most of my irresponsibility stemmed from my personal problems and my lack of effort in dealing with them. I was still on the fence about my sobriety, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my future. I was so terrified that I had given up on everything. My attitude was terrible. I was closed off to everybody around me, and was just waiting to get out of this school.
It took an office meeting with some staff members in my family before I realized what a negative influence I was. I was a black hole of negativity. My sarcasm and cynicism was bringing everyone down, and my job and my graduation were both in jeopardy. I was given a choice: stay until June or get my act together and graduate in December. I chose to get my act together. I work my hardest to get back into the swing of things. I actually began to search for help.
Right now I still struggle with the same problems and can feel overwhelmed with all the work that seems to always pile up. However, I know that I can handle it as long as I work my hardest and keep a to-do list. I seem to forget a lot due to the amount of drugs I was using at home.
With Chris’s help, I have really learned how to work, and how to have fun doing it. At times I want to scream and rip my hair out, but I know that in the end when everything is done, the job will have been worth it.
I am excited to be leaving the school in December, and will be taking so much with me. I am definitely ready to begin the next chapter of my life and am hopeful for the future, something that I have not always been. As long as I follow a path of truth and love, I know I will find exactly what I am looking for.
