Michaela Ramm

    Growing up, I wanted to do what I love for the rest of my life. However, when I began looking at colleges, my high school advisor said to me “writing is not a career, it’s a hobby,” effectively crushing any aspirations I had to be a writer.

     It took me sometime, however, to find journalism. After a false start at Mount Marty College in Yankton, S.D., I went back to my roots and began looking at careers with a skill in writing and comprehension—leading me to journalism and the Greenlee School at Iowa State University.

    My first week at the Iowa State Daily, I covered the Ames City Council. Needless to say, I was terrified.

    I still clearly remember what Mark Witherspoon, The Daily's editorial advisor, said to me the next day. “It’s not bad,” he said. “Actually, for your first article, it’s pretty damn good.”

    Then, it clicked for me. Not only had I found my career path, but it was something I could be good at. At that moment, journalism filled that gap that was missing from my life until that point.

    I could talk endlessly about the benefits of journalism in the country, but it carries a different meaning for myself. Not only does journalism enable me to do what I love, but it is one of the only fields that can enable me to work to change the world. Despite the long days doing tireless, thankless work, I go home satisfied.

    I strive to change the world by keeping people informed and by working to make a different in someone’s life, no matter how small. This is something I believe is necessary for a democracy to be successful.

    An example that stands out to be was the opportunity I had to cover the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Des Moines during the presidential race before the Iowa Caucus. My adreneline was pumping the whole time because I was in a room filled with thousands of people actively working to change the world. To me, that is what journalism is about: being a part of something much bigger than myself and documenting history as it is being made.

    Today as an intern with The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, I continue to learn journalism and what it means to be a reporter. Looking back at my first story with The Iowa State Daily, it’s almost funny to think of how terrified I was. Reporting presents itself as a challenge to me every day, and I relish the opportunity I gain from it.