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My “Project Reach” experience

By Mya Xiong

In September 2004, I joined the Urban League of Greater Madison program called Project Reach. It was a great experience for me and I enjoyed it a lot. The staff and participants were great, and this summer, I was given the chance to pick different workshops.

Project Reach helps students experience working in different types of businesses depending on their preference. The expectation is that the work experience will help them in the future. Project Reach starts in the beginning of the school year and continues all through the summer. In order to participate, all project participants have to come to class every Tuesday during the school year and have at least good attendance. On the last week of school, all participants are given a chance to pick an internship from among eight choices: at Madison libraries, Manchester Realty, The Madison Times, ElderCare, Meriter Hospital, and others.

These internships last for six weeks, and during that time, students have to spend 12 hours per week on the job and 3.5 hours in class. Project Reach helps students of all colors and economically disadvantaged youth find great experiences in the real world of work. This program is only for eighth- grade students and is only available at three different schools: Sherman, Black Hawk, and Cherokee.

When it came to choosing among the top eight choices of internships, I chose The Madison Times as my first choice. I thought it was very interesting because the job had something to do with newspapers and it seemed like something I would enjoy a lot and get a good experience out of. Since I had never had any experience with this internship and have never really heard of The Madison Times, I thought that this would be a great opportunity for me to learn about newspaper publishing. During my six weeks at The Madison Times, I typed a lot of articles that were printed in the newspaper, and also did a lot of faxing, which helped reach out to clients and advertisers. I also got to fix and edit the Essence Festival photos with the editor, Jon Gramling, before they were published in the newspaper. That was one of my best experiences yet.

I was also assigned to man the paper’s booth at Fiesta Hispana at Warner Park. I experienced talking to people in a festival and knowing what community is all about. I had a great time at The Madison Times and have learned so many things from this internship.

Project Reach has helped me  improve my employability skills:  filling out job applications, developing resumés, honing interviewing skills, developing good work habits and time management skills, and other basic job skills. Project Reach has given me an opportunity to actually experience a work environment. It has played a big part in preparing me for future employment and putting me one step ahead of others who haven’t joined this program.

Thank you, Project Reach and The Madison Times!