The week with NPR Next Generation Radio went by very fast. The first day doing interviews and getting invited to the celebration of life at Matthew Teutimez’s great-aunt’s funeral reminded me of being home. My mentor, Avishay Artsy, and I were welcomed by Teutimez’s family and were offered food.
It was interesting hearing the family history and stories of their Gabrieleño Band Of Mission Indians, Kizh Nation culture. My mentor gave me confidence and pointers on how to prepare for the interview and some tips on audio interviews.
The following days after the interview, I realized all the focus and dedication it takes to finish the project in time. I felt overwhelmed because I was learning how to use Adobe Audition for the first time. Audio engineers Yuki Liang and Selena Seay-Reynolds helped assist with the audio edits, and I learned a lot from them. Writing the story and finishing the audio felt rewarding, and I am very grateful for the guidance of my mentor. Times were challenging with deadlines, and he made time to help me with edits to help understand the process.
Everyone in the program was helpful and generous with their knowledge and feedback. I appreciate all editors and creators on this project. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of the project and been paired with Avishay. I will be taking away a lot of new knowledge from this project to prepare me for my following projects. It felt like this opportunity came at the right time because I will be doing audio and more reporting in the future. Thank you, NPR Next Generation Radio, for letting me be a part of this year’s Southern California journalism project. I met some new friends, and I will forever remember this experience.