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A Thirst for Knowledge and Recognition
Submitted by: Josh N.
Missoula, MTI have been a broadcaster for seven years. I am currently going to the University of Montana to receive a radio/television degree.
When I was born I was strangled from my mom’s umbilical cord. The doctors said I would not make it. My aunt prayed for me every night and stayed by me. I survived but, had several problems. One, my brain was starved of oxygen. As a result it was slowly developed over fifteen years. This caused me to get held back in 1st grade. I could not write or spell.
Second, my right eye was protruding from the socket. The resulting surgery skewed my vision. I was consistently teased in school, beat up and degraded. I had a drunk for a step-dad and we were poor. Despite all this, my mom kept in mind that she wanted to be a nurse. In 2000, despite the families rough beginnings we began the turn around.
Through my step-dad’s teachings, my grades became better. He taught that to get anywhere in this world you had to work hard. Nobody was gonna give you anything. I graduated in 2008 number 156 out of 500 in my class. My sister was number 1 out of 500 in hers.
I discovered The Secret my first year of college. Journalism was something that fascinated me since I was five. From publishing a trailer park newsletter,winning several journalism awards for my work in my middle school paper, to doing play-by play commentary for my high school athletic teams.
My first two years were brutal. So much so that I thought about quitting and working at McDonalds. It would of been a lot easier in the short term. Reading The Secret and my families constant prodding gave me confidence to get through this period. I imagined that all other options for me outside of journalism and post-production were out of the question.
Journalism is the greatest job in the world. You get to meet new people every day, learn something new, and constantly be on the cutting edge of technology, and methods for telling a story. Journalists have been called “masters with words.” The Secret helped me focus stubbornly on this goal. I imagined being respected in the field, earning $100,000, and being the go-to guy when it came to editing and shooting video.
I am currently in my Senior year of college and several important events have happened. First, I have been asked by the University and several of my friends to edit their independent films. An audition tape that I edited for one of my friends that was applying for a reality tv series got noticed by the executives of MTV. Also, several companies have given me internship opportunities where I can stay in Missoula and make a comfortable living.
This is all possible because I was exposed to the possibilities of what my life could be by reading The Secret and my families constant prodding. I am grateful for this everyday. I am also looking forward to see what the future will bring.