Khanh, The Tour Guide
Yes, I can officially cross something off of my bucket list and can I just tell you that I have so much more respect for tour guides now? Walking and talking (at the same time) is a skill and thanks to KTLA, I was able to do just that.
I'm a dreamer. In kindergarten, my dream was to become a sketch artist. In first grade, I wanted to become a teacher. I placed all of my stuffed animals against the wall, pulled out my white board, and pretended that I was lecturing about something important. I also played with Barbie in hopes that one day, I too, can become a household name. However, when third grade came along, I knew that I had a special gift. Towards the end of junior year of high school, I realized that I could utilize that gift and pursue a career in entertainment. Come senior year, I was confident that Communication was for me. So I went to work today feeling extremely tired as always, but my mood instantly changed when my supervisor told me that Father John was coming and that he brought 36 kids from a local private school with him. Instead of going about my daily routine, I was given the task of learning the history of KTLA in half an hour and preparing to give the students a private tour around the studio. 'Say wahhh?' 'Did I signed up for this?!' I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I was actually more than excited to meet them. By 7:45, I was called on to the lot and BAM there were 36 students standing before me. It has been awhile since I've spoken in front of an audience so I was a bit nervous. Nothing a nice deep breathe can't fix . *Breathe, breathe* Now I am more than ready to go. I showed them Stage 7 and 8, newsroom, tech department, make-up room, green screen, and etc. They were a bit shy, but I could tell that some of them were extremely excited about it. I could also tell that some of the guys would probably have preferred to be elsewhere and that's cool with me too. I talked to them about my high school involvement and college pursuits, gave them a couple of pointers in regards to internships and applications, and shared a little bit of my dream with them. Did I mention I even convinced all of them to do a #FightOn sign? Haha, yep :-) You know me. You can take the girl out of SC, but you can't take SC out of the girl. But as much as it was a learning experience for them, it was also a great learning experience for me.
Here are some things I've learned today: [How to become a successful tour guide given the unusual circumstances]
- Study, study, study. History and background are important. Preparation is also key here.
- It's easier to keep an audience's attention when you're speaking about something that means a lot to you. Be passionate.
- Personality matters. Do not neglect any person in the room. Everyone matters.
- Smile :-)
What I got out of this experience:
- Strengthened my interpersonal skills
- Increase the group dynamics by asking for student participation
- Improved on my narration skills
- Learned how to walk, talk, and eat See's candies in between
I was once again reminded as to why I wanted to pursue this industry and that I still have a long way to go. This is an incredible start and meeting these students as well as Father John kept me feeling extremely inspired for the whole course of the tour. Yes, today, I am still an intern. But that will change one day because one day, I'll walk into a room and people will know my name. Looking forward to it.
