By Jason Sethre
Publisher
Fillmore County Journal
jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Throughout this school year, our newspaper team has had the opportunity to connect with students from schools in our coverage area.
Each year, we have anywhere from 15 to 25 high school students sign up to be a part of the “Journal Student Writing Project,” now in its 26th year.
Judging by the thoughts shared – confident, researched, and well-written – we have some very sharp minds at work in our school districts.
It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there for the world to judge. And, it’s different when it’s in your local newspaper compared to social media. When it appears in the newspaper, everyone receives it in the exact same format and they are more likely to see it. Online platforms are often full of keyboard warriors and distracting content that pulls us in various directions.
Last fall, we had the honor of three students visiting our offices in Caledonia and Preston as part of a job shadowing experience. Lanesboro freshman Ian Horihan along with two Rushford-Peterson juniors, Jace Dvorak and Adalynn Hoel spent about half of a day with our team, learning about the different types of jobs at the newspaper.
When we get a chance to speak with students, whether at the newspaper office or in the classroom, I always tell them to take as many English classes as possible. Become a great writer. Become a great communicator. Some day they’ll be sending emails to clients, vendors, or co-workers. Some day they’ll be writing proposals. Some day they will be reading important contracts. It’s important to understand the English language to the best of your ability. That’s one piece of advice I offer.
Another thing I feel is important for students to think about is that they are their own brand identity. In other words, whatever they put up on social media becomes a part of who they are in the eyes of anyone searching.
Years ago, we had a freelance writer who was a fantastic reporter for the newspaper, and she was seeking a job opportunity with a big bank in Rochester. She called me to say that she wouldn’t be able to write for us anymore due to her new work schedule. I was happy for her, even though we were losing a tremendously talented contributor. Toward the end of our conversation, she told me that one of the things that came up in conversation with the bank executive who hired her was that when they did a Google search of her name, she appeared multiple times with articles published in the Fillmore County Journal. Since she was seeking a marketing communications position with their company, he said that he could tell she was a great writer and communicator based on her writing style.
You never know when your writing skills will come in handy. That’s a perfect example, and I’ve shared that story with many people.
This is why I always tell students that they have a personal brand identity. They have an online and social media footprint. And, it’s a good idea to own that brand identity as much as possible. I also suggest that people purchase their domain name. So, actually purchase your name in the form of a domain name. You never know when you may want to start a project or have an idea, and that domain name may be of value to you at some point.
In February, along with other employers, I was asked to give a 30-minute presentation at Mabel-Canton High School over the course of three separate sessions. With Bluff Country Collaborative working behind the scenes to bring everyone together, I thought it was a great program. The staff at the school was helpful for employers, based on whatever presentation technology was needed. The students participating in the sessions were from Caledonia, Mabel-Canton and Spring Grove, ranging from grades ninth through 12th.
I talked about all of the different types of jobs we have at the newspaper, and the interesting type of work we do. I talked about how we connect people in the community with the stories we share. I asked them if they read the newspaper, and our sports section or anything relating to the schools came up quite a bit.
It’s always great speaking with students in our schools. I appreciate learning about their interests, and getting a sense of their career aspirations.
For me, my career whisked me away to other states, and I learned a lot of things I wouldn’t have learned had I not stepped out of my comfort zone. But, after nearly 15 years, my wife and I came back to our roots. Why? Because we wanted our children to grow up with their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. And, let’s face it, after living in bigger cities, Bluff Country is God’s Country. There’s no better place to raise a family, in my opinion.
I remember when I was in my teens and older people (like myself today) would say that we were going to be future leaders, I couldn’t fathom that idea. Today, I look around at all of the business leaders, mayors, Chamber of Commerce board members, school board members, city council members, church council members and so many other leaders in our communities.
The students in the classrooms today will be running this country some day.
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