Final Blog (Bryan Hohns)

Well this is it; here we are. Issue 6 is done, as is the Seminole Scribe.

It all feels like it happened so fast. And I mean this.

I remember first coming to class, thinking about what I would write for my first article and reading my textbook after lunch. I never wrote anything like I had imagined I would; pieces that I thought would cover personal interests such as gaming and technology never came to life. Instead, I found myself attracted to the role of an event man.

Ultimately, I kept things simple. Every article I have done for this class has been an event recap of some form or another. I question my merit as a writer and student in this class, despite the occasional accolades I have received for taking two stories.

Assuming both my stories for Issue 6 pan out, I will likely finish this course with an A. But I wonder...do I really deserve an A for my efforts?

Personally, I would say that no, I do not. A "B" would be more appropriate. While the sheer volume of my work was impressive, I was not a very adventurous journalist, as I stuck to a single format for months. In addition, just about all of my extra work was done to repair damages caused by myself early in the semester for missing a deadline (I didn't truly miss it; I just submitted garbage quality work).

Still, I have learned a few things in the course, despite my journalistic cowardice. For one, I know that I'm not the most curious or investigative person; I have my own narrow interests, and I have trouble covering material outside of them. I also realize that I am blessed at filler, and I can translate basic notes and figures into a serviceable story without all too much effort. This is how I interpret the majority of what I have done in this course.

I will not be pursuing journalism as a career after this course. Instead, I will be heading to UCF in the Fall for a degree in Marketing, which I may or may not stick with.  Regardless, it was fun; I have been curious about writing for years, and I owed it to myself to test the waters of journalism. If I had to do anything in this industry professionally, it would be editing, as my attention to detail and grammar is probably my greatest strength as a writer (that and my typing speed).

I'll conclude this messy bit by saying that while I have my regrets with this course due to how I handled it, I blame no one but myself. And while my choice of format was lazy towards the end, I still got to talk with many interesting people who I never would have otherwise even noticed. I covered an NAACP event with smooth jazz, was interviewed for a documentary, got to tinker with Windows 8 and even did my own photography at one point. When I focus on what I actually did, rather than lamenting what I could've done, it is clear to me that, cliche happy endings be damned, what I did was solid journalism.

Thanks for the opportunity.