This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Portland chapter.
Nastacia Voisin does it all. She is a whip-smart, future journalist (and copy editor) for The Beacon, a double major, a Research Assistant for multiple professor and more! How does she do it? Isn’t that what we’d all like to know!
Name: Nastacia Voisin
Major: Communication Studies & Sociology
Year: Senior
Did you always know you would wind up as a journalist?
I’ve always cultivated passions for knowledge-sharing, good conversation and excellent writing. Journalism seemed the natural intersection between these interest. But I didn’t consider it seriously as a career option until high school.
What made you decide to write for The Beacon?
As a freshman I was inspired and amused by the energy and wit of The Beacon’s staff writers when I read their work each week. My sophomore year a reporter position opened, and I decided I wanted to be part of that creative effort.
Tips for building confidence in your writing:
1. Try new things and see what works. You can’t develop your own style until you’ve experimented.
2. Read good writing, and shamelessly blend clever techniques with your own original content.
3. Do it often, and do it fast. Practice matters, and overthinking leads to writer’s block.
What is in your “journalist toolkit”:
1. A pen and notebook. The first and last and best tools of a journalist.
2. An insatiable curiosity and the courage to ask hard questions.
3. A committed media diet. Being read-up and in the know is crucial.
4. Research skills. From social media sites to archives, a reporter needs to know how to dig for information.
Tell us about your internship experience this summer. What was it like? What did you learn from it?
Working full-time for a community newspaper was one of the highlights of my life. I learned to work harder, think faster and writer better than I thought was possible. My editors and fellow reporters were a great inspiration to me. And I’ll miss seeing my byline printed in a real-world newspaper.
What advice would you give to budding journalists?
Embrace chaos and remember that its your job to tell as story, not just to parrot facts. There are stories out there waiting to be told, and with moxie, skill and patience, you can share them with the world.
What are your plans after graduation?
After a summer internship, I’m aiming for grad school, hopefully somewhere abroad. And then I’ll be hunting for a job in broadcast media.