Once I was immersed into the studio I was so excited to start my journey at WFLA. The first couple of days I wanted to take everything in and just watch how they all work together in the studio. I would usually sit in the back so that I was able to see the whole studio, but after that I wanted to actually get up and learn to do things. So I asked if I could floor direct and learn by walking behind them. They were totally on board with letting me learn and they gave me a rundown, headset and stop watch so that I can keep up with the time. They were really glad that I wanted to learn and I was also able to help keep them on track if they were to forget to time the package or the break. It was very exciting to actually see how the studio and anchors all come together to keep the show going.
At my time at the station I have also gotten the opportunity to Shadow a couple of Reporters when they went out to cover a story. The first time we went to cover a story where a sales woman discovered a fraud was happening with a house that was put on sale. The reporter and I went out to cover the story by getting B-roll and interviewing the woman on how she found out about it.
The second Reporter I was able to shadow was a Reporter that covered stories about living local. We went to the Dali Museum in st.Pete and were able to get shots and interview for live shots about a new exhibit that was opening for a limited time.
At the station I was also able to VO a video if a woman that was going to air that night. I did a voice-over because the lady spoke in dialect and we needed to make sure that our audience understood what she was saying.
Unfortunately the video can’t be uploaded but more information is on my linkedin at Lizbeth Gutierrez
As soon as I stepped foot into a News Station I was mesmerized by evrything surrounding me. I was only 10 years old when I knew that I wanted to become a News Anchor, and from that moment on I set my eye one doing so. This semester I was able to land an internship at a News Station. I was so pumped to actually be able to be at a studio and watch how a News Room works together.
Once I was at the station my boss asked me if I was interested in volunteering to help at the Gasparilla Parade that the station live streams each year. I had never been and I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity, so I said yes.
Below are just some pictures that I took before and after the event.
While working for a magazine I got to see an insight of what print media entails. Although I am leaning more towards TV Media, I was able to learn a lot from the magazine. I wrote two about what was happening in the Plant City area, and if there were any new things happening. They were featured in the ‘Talk of the Town’ portion of the magazine. While interning, there many grand openings happening in the area. Although I was personally never able to make it to the Grand openings because of school, the Instagram page was full of pictures and how many people were there to celebrate.
Meetings were also a big factor in helping to create a magazine that everyone would enjoy reading. The meetings were focused on what the town would like to read. We tried putting a twist and making it fun for everyone. Everyone was assigned a task and they would set deadlines as to when things should be done.
I think that throughout the whole journey of interning here I was able to get a better understanding of what happens in what we may think as a small town, but with so many people that add value and contribute so much to the community to have the magazine going is very important.
At the beginning of my internship I was asked to do a video for a local chiropractor here in Plant City. I wanted to focus on the services that they offered here in the area. They have clients that travel a little well over 2 hours just to be there and get the help that they need. I was able to get an interview with Dr.Dukes as she spoke on why it is so important to see a chiropractor and the services they provide to help those that need it.
Being a Hispanic, I love to celebrate my heritage and get to know a little more every time that there is an eventful day. Living in Plant City for all my life I never knew about the Hispanic Heritage Celebration being held here in Plant City. Focus Magazine wanted to cover this event and I thought not only should I get picture coverage of the event but I should also get video coverage to show what exactly we celebrate. Below is a video of the day.
While interning at Focus Magazine, I had the opportunity to attend a Cat show that was being held in Plant City. I was assigned to take pictures of the event and I even created a short video. I hope you all enjoy it and get to see all the wonderful cats that were there. The New Vision Cat Club is planning on coming to the Plant City area every year. This was their second year here and they truly enjoyed the turn out. I was able to speak to Rich and his daughter on their thoughts about the event and how it all got it’s start.
Plant City High School, hosts the American Cancers Relay for Life, each year in April. Although many people think that it is an event where people are running laps around the track, that is not the case. Many people have been affected by Cancer, and it is something that is near and dear to a lot of people. Helping to find a cure is the main motive for why this Relay is hosted. Many people from around Hillsborough county come together to help raise money for those that need help paying for treatments, as well as to help find the cure for this horrible sickness.
I spoke to many people here at the Relay for Life to get a little more information on why they relay, and why it is so important to them. I spoke to Andy Ferguson and she told me that she had been helping with Relay for about seven years now, and since she started at Hillsborough Community College she has also been involved with setting up a booth there at the Relay. The college has been a big part in helping to raise money for those people in need of it. They began three months before to raise money, and are still continuing to raise even more money after the event ends.
Bonnie Nimmo the Student Activities Coordinator with the College, talks about her experience with the whole Relay. She says, ” For me it’s very important to give back to the community, especially since cancer affects everyone.” She gave me more information on what the theme was for this years relay. She said that for this year the theme was Florida, and so the college decided to focus their booth on Harry Potter. The reason they chose this was because, “we want to bring people to that magical world, and it helps because a good place for kids to decorate things, and help people feel connected, because this is a very family friendly environment.”
Many other people were willing to share their stories as well, and were out there to show their support to help treat Cancer. The Relay for Life goes from the Morning to the next day in the Morning, to help shed a light that Cancer Never sleeps, so why should we sleep. The morning signifies that everything is good, and many don’t realize that they have cancer, and the night represents the darkness, that people have cancer. The new day the next day shows that each day is a brand new day and we have to keep fighting the battle.
Interview:
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): If you could please say your name and spell it out for me.
Andy Ferguson(Interviewee): My name is Andy Ferguson, A-N-D-Y-F-E-R-G-U-S-O-N
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): Why have you decided to help with Relay for life?
Andy Ferguson(Interviewee):So as a High Schooler I participated in Relay for Life from freshman year all they way until my senior year. Then when I came to HCC I decided why not join, it’s a lot of fun. Them I became team captain because I was the first to volunteer and I’ve always loved Relay for life.
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): Does the Relay for life have an impact on and your family?
Andy Ferguson(Interviewee): Yes, my grandfather was affected he had liver, kidney and collan cancer. He passed away the year after I was born, and mother also had cervical cancer. This event helps me to give back to my community.
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer):You mentioned that you like to give back to the community, how is HCC helping you to do that?
Andy Ferguson(Interviewee): so we actually have a raffle for a basket, each ticket is one dollar or you can play quidditch for a dollar, you get your first ticket free and you can get more tickets. we are also selling harry potter themed animals with their scarfs on it, plus we have butter beer for sale, chocolate frogs and people can also come and paint wands
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): Thank You.
Time: 1 min. 11 sec.
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): If you could please say your name and spell it out for me.
Timothy Mcarter(Interviewee): My name is Timothy Mcarter, T-I-M-O-T-H-Y-M-C-A-R-T-E-R
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): What is the significance of you being here today?
Timothy Mcarter(Interviewee): Many members of the family have been affected by cancer, and me as well just recently, I never really saw a significance in it until it actually impacted me.
Lizbeth Gutierrez(Interviewer): So is this your first Relay?
Timothy Mcarter(Interviewee): This is my second Relay, I went to one many years ago, when my mom had cancer, so we came in her honor and to show respect. I probably won’t stay too long though, but I will say that I like the comradery and happiness and support that is shown here today.
Michelle Spivey is the proud owner of Spivey’s Southern Grill, along with her husband. She began by telling me a little bit about how she got into this festival life. She begins by saying that she grew up into this business because her family had been doing this ever since she was a little girl, and they have always traveled with the carnival. Spivey mentions, “I was a true Carney.” Meaning that she was part of this life.
At a very young age she mentions that she met her husband, and he was already in the food industry, and it was only right that they continue on in this family business. They have been in this business now for 28 years, and have also incorporated the help of their children into the business as well. She goes on to tell a little bit more about her experience as a kid, she states, ” As a kid it was actually pretty fun, being in Florida the summers are pretty hot down here so I never experienced the Florida Summers, we were always gone when school was over with starting in July.” She says that as a kid she recalls that they moved pretty often about every week following the carnival. She goes on to say that the Southern States are the one’s in which they mainly were focused on, like Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, etc.
Although the moving around was very tough on them, she said that she really liked it because she said that her Family was always together and always with their parents not stuck in a daycare, which she goes on to say that helped her growing up because she was able to learn good work ethics at a young age, which now she uses to teach her own children. Which is one of the reasons she loves this business.
They provide traditional fair food, and it is something that her family has always sold, she goes on to say,”We try not to really add anything…” They prefer to stick to the tradition, “You can’t go wrong with Italian sausage, cheese steaks and Corn dogs.” She says that they do at times try to spice things up but they dynamics of what they sell are still traditional fair food.
“The strawberry Festival has really helped us to promote our business, and we do have a couple of friends that share us on twitter and Facebook.” It helps to bring the community here in Plant City come together to enjoy the food. The Spivey’s have three food booths set up around the festival, and if you’re ever in town in the month of March I would highly recommend stopping by and trying one of their Italian Sausages!
Jair Burgos is a Senior studying Chemical Engineering here at the University of south Florida. The reason for him choosing this major stems from him being very into the STEM programs at school excelling at Math, Physics and Chemistry. He Attended Junior College and received his associates degree in Math, Physics and Chemistry. Growing up throughout his life he was always surrounded by the STEM fields, and with a brother that was also in the engineering field he says, “He inspired me to go into engineering and through him I saw how much fun it is and how hands on it is and how solving real world problems with some really cool solutions…because of that I knew I wanted to do engineering.” He tells a little about why he decided to major in specifically Chemical Engineering, by saying that he was very into Chemistry and felt that, that was the right career choice for him. He enjoys being in the Chemical engineering fields because he likes going through the process or in his word the “puzzle.”
He is currently the Concrete Canoe Club Captain for the American Society of Civil Engineers. He says that, “Although it is outside my Chemical engineering field I really fell in love with the whole project of the design aspect, of designing a canoe and to actually building it that really caught my attention and really made me fall in love with the project.” He’s been involved with the club now for three years and this is his third canoe that he is involved with building, but this time around he is the captain. He has to manage everything that is being done and make sure that they are able to meet their deadlines when they attend their conference where they will be presenting their canoe, make an oral presentation and then at the end race it against other Universities.
He hopes to mix his Chemical Engineering background with the exposure of Civil Engineering field and continue his education here at USF and obtain his Masters Degree.
Lizbeth Gutierrez 