Growing up, I was extremely shy – to the point where I couldn’t even order food at restaurants for most of my childhood. Thankfully I outgrew my shyness for the most part.
When I first began my internship at Metro TV, I was assigned the position of a broadcast journalist. As my coworker described my daily tasks – interviewing Ghanaians and speaking on camera – my childhood feelings came flooding back. I became overwhelmed and wanted to quit right then and there. As a photographer, I’m used to and comfortable being behind the camera. I knew traveling to Ghana, in general, would put me out of my comfort zone at some points, but I did not expect to feel so overwhelmed at my internship from the start. I took a deep breath, tried to forget my fears, and went on with the day. On my Uber home, I quickly decided I wanted to switch internships because this definitely wasn’t the one for me. However, by the time I got home and started thinking about it from other perspectives, I realized this is the only time in my life I’ll ever be able to have this opportunity, so I need to make it count and get myself out of my comfort zone as much as possible.
On my second day of work, my coworkers asked me if I was ready to do some walking. I had no idea what I was agreeing to, but I was ready to take on the challenge. “Grab your camera and be out the door in five!” they yelled as they left the newsroom. Next thing I knew, we arrived at a demonstration with hundreds of participants chanting and marching throughout the streets of Accra. I whipped out my camera and starting shooting away. I have always loved having the ability to capture people doing what they are most passionate about – protestors, musicians, athletes, etc. It was an amazing experience to capture Ghanaians marching for what they believe in. Mid-way through the demonstration, my coworker handed me the microphone and pointed through the crowd of marching Ghanaians to a man preaching his views on the arguments of the demonstration. I followed the cameraman through the crowd and found my way squeezed between reporters, aiming the microphone at the man.
I didn’t think much of this moment until the next day I arrived at work and was able to see myself on television as a reporter. This experience started to feel real, and I realized I might actually be able to be a reporter – at least for my time being here. At first, I was extremely nervous to become a broadcast journalist (and honestly still am) but I am definitely becoming more and more open to it. I am very thankful to have these opportunities and I can’t wait to see where Metro TV brings me next.