Jess Gould / XFM News
Starting a new college program six months after a pandemic was declared was not on my 2020 bingo card.
Similar to many across the globe, I did not know what to do when the world shut down. As a recent graduate of film in the first five weeks of the lockdown, the world we were trained to work in with large crews in tight proximities was put on pause.
Being a recent graduate is hard, but there was no direction on how to navigate as a recent graduate amid the pandemic world. I did what I was familiar with, and that was grasping onto school. After the TV News program I originally applied for was cancelled, I began to think in a different light about what skills I wanted to expand during this weird and difficult time. “Journalism? Like, an extension of documentaries and telling stories of people around me? Why not.” was my thinking pattern as I applied two months before the first day of school.
In revaluating how I learned about the news in my everyday life and reshaping what I needed to do to become a journalist, I also held onto the questions and experiences I have faced as an Indigenous woman. There were so many questions I had, there had to be many others like me who needed to find answers. An inquisitive mind looking for all the answers I could get grew into a variety of stories I have worked on over my two years at Fanshawe.
One of the top rules at the height of the pandemic was to keep your social circle small. Through my transition to living in London, I gained two roommates into my social circle. College is a time for exploring new possibilities, and collecting memories of the “good ol’ days”. Although the pandemic made gatherings and socializing difficult, I was welcomed into a home that had all the daily socializing I needed and I began making friends with faces I recognized from Zoom classes. A trend of a new program, a new living space, and new friends in a new world was my new normal.
While taking on the new program with the new normal, an additional layer of imposter syndrome thoughts filled my brain. “Am I doing this right? What am I doing here? Are these questions dumb?”
Although I still struggle with imposter syndrome, the more I “got out there” with “there” being on Zoom for the longest time before transitioning to additional opportunities in person, the more at ease I felt. It’s important to research the topic and subject you are reporting on, but the questions I had naturally are what really pushed the conversation into valuable journalism and reporting.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the London Muslim Mosque vigil June 8 2021 CREDIT: Jess Gould / XFM News
In the world of journalism, I learned who to reach out to for voices that sounded best with ideas and stories I felt needed to be told. The calendar I kept next to my desk was filled with notes, interviews, and ensuring everything was organized. However, journalism is not always predictable and organized. The harsh tragedies and breaking news popped the bubble of child-like curiosity as I and those around me had to navigate reporting difficult stories with the voices of those most affected.
Two years ago, I would have never thought I would be capable to grow alongside such talented and strong individuals that took on the voices of London the way it deserves to be told.
I have met incredible people in the studio, on location, and on the streets, and I feel as though I have lived a thousand lives by hearing their own stories.
CREDIT: Kate Otterbein / XFM News
After these two years, I have learned how to see the world around me in a way I reflect to question every day. No two stories are exactly alike, and in learning how to discuss a range including film safety and props, terrorism, local businesses and politics, every day as a journalist is different because of the growth from the day before. A growth I am thankful for, and I did not have before taking this risk of “what if” amid the pandemic.
The pandemic shaped everyone differently, and for myself, I was able to interact directly with issues needing to be shared. The pandemic brought to me this program, where we as journalists work for the people and provide voices on issues needing to be heard. A passion I did not know I was capable of, and now I am bringing it into the new world alongside my new life chapter.
The world is changing again. There is a new-new normal in place, and I am a new person. “Reborn” may be a stretch, but the life experience alone in these two years was a wake-up call to the importance of listening and reporting on the world in front of my eyes.
The world will continue to have stories to be told, and there will always be a need for people to be strong and bring attention and answers to what is happening around us.
Signing off for the last time for XFM News, I’m Jessica Gould.
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