Dressed in white, standing waist deep in a community pool, I made the first major adult decision that changed the course of my life. It was June 2007 when I decided to be baptized and officially become a Christian. The second major adult decision was marrying my husband. This decision resulted in not only becoming a wife, but a mother. With so much at stake and a lot to sacrifice, I decided to bet on myself once and for all. My third major adult decision came this year when in September I began the process of getting my Graduate Certification in Journalism.
Getting married is the easy part of marriage, staying married is work. Making and having babies are the simpler parts of parenting, raising children is tough. Dreaming is the fun part of the future, moving to action to make your dreams reality can be overwhelming. Yet, as a 33-year-old wife and mother of two, I am realizing the time will pass regardless of the overwhelm, uncertainty, or sacrifice. Being a journalist is something I’ve always wanted to be (don’t believe me? Check my eighth-grade yearbook) and finally, being a journalist is what I now am.
“Moving to action to make your dream reality can be overwhelming.”
Officially joining the field of journalism now is interesting from an emerging tech perspective. Being an Older Millennial, I have lived a distinct experience of the rapid evolution of technology. I’ve lived through landlines and dial-up to Facetime and wi-fi. I’ve lived through cassettes and CDs, while developing a love-hate relationship with the accessibility of streaming. I know how to use the Dewey Decimal System and overhead projectors, remember when YouTube and Wikipedia were new, and couldn’t wait to get home from school to chat with friends on MSN.
And while the world of journalism isn’t always quick to jump on emerging technologies, nor do we (see what I did there) always get it right, I’m excited to now take a step into the ever-evolving field. Here, I can be at the fore in taking on new technologies to share stories with the public. I now get to not only tell the story but be part of it.
One of my favourite quotes is by Phillip L. Graham. He says, “journalism is the first draft of history.”
The poet in me appreciates the monosyllabic rhythm that creates a strong image of the journalist (too flowery? Don’t worry, like I said I’m a poet). But the storyteller in me, the documentarian I am, loves this statement because it drives home the power and importance of the journalist in a world where technology has given anyone the ability to add “writer” to their bio - but I digress.
As a mother and Black woman in the Canadian media landscape, I often question if I will be able to push past the perceptions people may have because of these parts of my identity. Then I often must remind myself I have fought hard to get to this point. I have done the work where I can tune out the outside pressures and my internal voices to make the major decision to go back to school at this point, in this season, of my life.
With this milestone decision in my bag, I move forward in my uphill process to get where I am going. I am ready and willing to keep working, to tell important stories I love, and excitedly look forward to whatever new opportunities that emerge.