Summer jobs: Part 1

Anyone I spoke with about journalism said experience was the best possible way to learn anything about the field.

That's when I decided to intern for the summer at the Odessa American, because it's the most well-known newspaper in the Permian Basin, and I thought I would learn a lot about journalism and reporting.

And I was right.

Before interning, I never worked at a newspaper, and the little I knew about journalism, I learned in courses aimed more toward mass communication than actual reporting.

I've learned how to improve my writing, ask questions and be persistent.

And learning how to report isn't the only thing that's good about working at the OA.

Every day there's something new. I meet and talk with a variety of people, and I get to hear interesting stories from them that I wouldn't get if I were sleeping in every day of the summer.

I think working at the newspaper is a great summer job that will help me in my classes during the school year.

I'm majoring in communications at Trinity University, and though the classes do provide insight into the media, nothing's more effective than my on-the-job experience.

In addition to more experience in journalism, working at a newspaper has let me experience what life after college could possibly be like.

There's hard work and deadlines, but to know what goes on behind the news and what makes life interesting is an experience that will last me a lifetime.

Here are the stories of other students:

KELLI AMES

Working at the art museum and building plantation shutters may not seem like a perfect fit, but to Kelli Ames, it's just another summer day.

Ames, 18, spends her summer working at the Ellen Noël Art Museum and Shutter Sensations.

Ames started working at the museum last year as a volunteer before she was actually part of the staff.

But she wasnt always interested in art.

I was aiming for pre-med, and I had been for several years, Ames said. I took an art class junior year and decided to change what I wanted to do.

Ames, an incoming freshman majoring in art history at Texas Tech, has learned a lot from the museum.

You get to work with all these artists, and you learn so much more than you normally would, she said.

This summer, Ames is helping the kids at the museums art camps until noon. But in the afternoons she switches to more manual labor by helping build plantation shutters.

Ames has been working since September at Shutter Sensations, where she helps inspect, sand and install the shutters.

She said working with plantation shutters surprises people.

They kind of expect the museum, and they look at me and say youre so small, she said.

She said that while the people at Shutter Sensations are like a second family to her, she would probably come back to the museum next summer if she can.

JUSTIN TORRES

Summer is a time to hang out by the water, have fun and soak up the sun.

Justin Torres gets paid to do all of that.

Torres, 21, is the deck supervisor at Sherwood Aquatic Park, where hes been working since he was 15 years old. Torres started out as a lifeguard when his mom suggested it as a summer job.

My mom always said it was a good idea to be a lifeguard, he said.

And moms certainly do know best.

After six years of working at Sherwood, Torres has learned a lot from working with the various families that go to the park.

Dealing with the kids is good, Torres said. Ive learned how to be responsible and how to be a good parent (for the future).

He also said that his job gives him flexible working hours, allowing him to do extracurricular activities like working out or spending time with his family.

Torres, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at Texas Tech, said the best part of the job is being with his friends.

I get to have all my fun during the summer, so I can get to my business during the school year, he said.

ZACH REYNOLDS

If he had to choose between cats and dogs, Zach Reynolds might choose a whale or a dolphin.

Reynolds, 20, is working at the University Small Animal Clinic and Hospital where hes training to be a veterinarian and eventually a marine zoologist.

Reynolds has been working at the clinic for more than a year and has learned a lot. He has already learned how to handle animals, give them medicine, treatments and X-rays.

Reynolds also gets to watch Dr. Henry Lide and his wife, Dr. Amy Lide, perform surgeries.

Every day at work I see a surgery, Reynolds said. Dr. Lide really knows what hes doing. I hope one day to be that good.

He said the coolest surgeries he watched the doctors perform are when they remove kidney stones the size of gumballs mostly from cats and dogs.

But, he added, Theres always something new.

Reynolds, a senior at UTPB, said that seeing the animals go home healthy is rewarding.

He hopes the training hes getting from the clinic will help him deal with the larger and more exotic marine animals.

I aspire to go to Texas A&M Corpus Christi where their marine zoology programs are, Reynolds said. I want to work at Sea World.

HALLY KINSER

Dogs might be mans best friend, but Hally Kinser doesnt single out any particular animal as her favorite.

Thats because she works at the University Small Animal Clinic and Hospital.

Kinser, 19, has been working at the clinic for nine months, and she said she wouldnt want any other job.

Its the best job you could have if you like working with animals, she said. Its so much fun working there.

Kinser chose her job because she likes working with animals.

It just seems like a lot more fun than working at a fast-food place, she said.

Kinser is a sophomore majoring in criminology at UTPB, but she said that theres always a possibility of working with the animals in the future.

Right now, she helps walk the dogs and make sure all the animals have food and water.

But thats not all she does.

We help out the vets, and weve learned about giving animals shots and medications, Kinser said.

She added that the veterinarians teach her about different illnesses the animals can have and how to treat it.

Kinser said the most rewarding thing about her job was just helping the animals get better.

We watch them come in sick, and we help them and get them back to their owners, she said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a two part series on summer jobs for college students. Today, OA summer intern Lyxan Toledanes writes about her own experiences and those of others in the Permian Basin. See Monday's OA for the second part of the series.