Last Updated: April 06, 2000
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High school programs
Growing your own really works
By Sierra Rendon
I was 15 and didn’t really read the paper regularly, but when someone
pointed out an ad for teens interested in journalism, I thought it might
be something I’d enjoy. Soon, I was hired as a teen writer for Attitudes,
the teen page of The Californian in Salinas. I had fun learning about the
newspaper.
That was my sophomore year in high school. The next year I applied to
be the editor of the page. With that position came a news assistant job
in the newsroom where I wrote obits, answered phones, did administrative
tasks — and had the opportunity to do some free-lancing.
Soon after, the publisher asked if I’d be interested in copy editing.
So I worked on the desk a few nights a week and found that came to me more
naturally than reporting. From there, I worked on the sports desk and later
moved to features. Now I’m the features editor.
The “grow your own” plan worked for me. It’s a great chance for teen-agers
to decide if journalism is what they want to do. It worked for me because
I wasn’t pigeonholed; they gave me the opportunity to do several things.
Rendon is features editor of The Californian in Salinas, Calif.
