How I got into NPR's Next Generation Radio?

Amarachi Ngwakwe interviewing Raoul Kamela @NPR Next Generation Radio.

From the outside, there were a lot of reasons why I shouldn't have gotten in.

I wasn't a journalism or communications major. I had never written a story for a news paper or journalism class. I didn't even understand AP Style.

But I was driven.

I worked tirelessly on my application. I drafted multiple responses to the prompts and shared my work with friends and family to critique.

Although I lacked formal journalism experiences, I felt like the program could propel me to the next level in my visual media career.

In January 2019, I switched from majoring in medicine to pursuing a career in visual media. I became a Humanities major, where I was able to design my own major. I structured my coursework around developing technical video skills and analyzing the rhetoric of visuals and design.

By the time I applied to Next Generation Radio, I had only been a "jounarlism-ish" student for about six months. As a newbie to the profession, and graduation months away, I was actively trying to participate in programs that would help me to develop skills to land a professional internship.

So I worked with what I could. I played up on my photography and video skills, communicated my passion, and explained what the opportunity meant to me.

For my application, I didn't event submit a journalistic work sample. I revamped an old essay where I analyzed the social and racial implications of the movie... Zootopia.

But with that I explained I understood how to research and critically analyze information.

Your experiences don't have to define you, you can define them.

(I wonder what their reaction was when they read it.)

There are plenty of opportunities that I feel under-qualifed for. I ask myself, 'why would they pick me?' But I can't let that stop me.

I have nothing to lose by trying. Whether it's an internship, scholarship, or job, the worst thing anyone can tell me is "no". I can handle a "no" from that I can get stronger and improve. But when I don't even try, I take myself out of the race before it even begins.