W ashington, D.C. – Matthew Boivin, a senior at Spring Arbor University, is attending the Washington Journalism Center (WJC) in Washington D.C. during the last semester of his senior year. He only wishes he had done it sooner.
Boivin explains why being on campus prevents students from understanding how important it is to do things off campus.
“It’s pretty fun. I would definitely encourage people to look into the Best Semester programs. It gets you a chance to get out into the world and see how things really are.”
Living in the city has taken some getting used to, especially using public transit and making his meals.
Matt Boivin in front of the Capitol Building.
“Going from not using public transit at all, to being completely dependent on public transit was challenging…Having to make your own meals all the time, going off the meal plan was an adventure. And shopping too, I mean without a car you have to carry everything… I mean you really have to shop weekly. You quickly learn the different food places. I learned the places…faster than I learned the tourist-y sites. I know where they are now.”
Expectations were another adjustment. The WJC provides classes for students on Mondays and Fridays and an internship Tuesdays through Thursdays. While students are not expected to be the best, they are always expected to maintain a certain level of professionalism.
“As an intern they aren’t expecting you to be perfect, but they are expecting you to rise to the level they are at and produce a good product.”
“I basically do whatever the producers tell me to do,” Boivin says of his job at PBS in the Religion and Ethics News Weekly. In addition to learning the way of the city, Boivin has learned transcription, taking notes, and listening. He has been helping PBS with their website also.
One of the best experiences, he said, was sitting in at the National Press Club to see them film their weekly program. The process is more involved that he thought, involving graphic artists, producers, video editors among other production aides.
In addition to the television program, Boivin has been writing for PBS.
“I’ve gotten one article published through the PBS website, and I’m hoping to get a few more.”
Boivin’s article Baltimore Students Learn Lessons of the Shoah featured on PBS’s website. He wrote about an interfaith dialogue between Jewish and Catholic high school students. The dialogue involves studying history, visiting places, and listening to speakers that pertain to each religion.
When asked about his future plans, he said, “I thought going out here, you know, I’m going to be a magazine editor…being out here I realize no matter where you enter the media, its demanding.”
“I don’t know quite where I want to go yet because I’ve seen how much there is out there. I think the PBS internship has been valuable, and I’ve gotten to see what a part of the television world is like.”
He would love to work for a magazine someday, but he’s not ruling out ESPN or a news wire service. Now, Boivin’s horizon includes finishing his internship, graduating, and looking for the next step in his career some place locally.
Matt has done some amazing things in DC, he has kept himself busy and his hard work will land him a great job! I invite fellow SAU students to consider working a semester in DC, it doesn’t pay much but the experience you will get is LIFECHANGING… Great Article Morgan! Blessings