Corinna Kieft Storyteller

View Final Product HERE

I have learned a lot about what it’s like working on a longer journalism project, and found that I really enjoyed it. While most of our shorter projects last a few weeks at most, the beauty of a long-form project is that I can really immerse myself in the research and understanding of a subject for an extended period. I’ve always loved essay writing and research assignments, so this kind of thing is more appealing to me than faster-paced news assignments. 

The field that I’m entering after this is communications. I’m not sure if these skills will apply there, as much of the work in that field is practical as opposed to being creatively charged. However, I’ve always been a writer and I’ll definitely keep this in mind as a hobby on the side. If it works out and I hone my skills enough, I could even apply this to a full-time writing job someday. 

I do feel more confident being asked to work on long-form projects. Now I know that it’s something I’m able to accomplish, I feel ready to complete more complex assignments and endeavours. I’ve always wanted to write a book, and I think that my work on this project has reassured me that it’s well within the realm of possibility. 

On a personal level, this project was incredibly meaningful to me. Perhaps selfishly, I chose this subject matter because I knew that the process and the final product would be therapeutic to me outside of school. In my personal life, I’ve only lost one person close to me that I can remember – my grandpa. Aside from him, I haven’t experienced much loss, but I’ve experienced very intense “preemptive” grief. It helped so much to be able to talk about it openly with the people I love and learn more about the anatomy of grief and the importance of legacies and remembering. Now I have the knowledge and tools to deal with it when the time comes, and for that I’m very thankful. 

Regardless of the quality of the final product, I’ve felt that the process of making this story has helped me in monumental ways, and I’ll carry so much of it with me as I enter my adult life. 

Now I really understand the healing nature of devoting myself to a project and using my complex feelings to be productive and create something other people can use. Making a project personal and raw is something I do naturally, but I don’t get to explore very often in journalism. I’m so grateful for this opportunity, and I hope the final product has been able to reflect my passion for this form of writing.