When my time at the Lawton Constitution started, I was as nervous as could be with no real plan of attack. I had written for USAO’s student newspaper, The Trend, but I was about to go to a newspaper in a city five times the size of my hometown of Chickasha without any real-world experience. My goal going into the internship was to become a sports journalist, and even though that is still in my career path, I quickly learned how valuable community journalism is and the impact it can leave.
My first time walking into the doors of the Constitution, I was struck with nerves immediately. I thought I might have been unprepared and not able to handle the day-to-day work of a newspaper, but thanks to the help of managing editor Dee Ann Patterson and the rest of the reporting staff at the Constitution, I felt at home in an instant.
In my first week, I was shocked by how quickly they were getting me involved. I was writing stories my first day and by day two, I had already gone out to do a story over Meers Hamburgers near the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. This story is a highlight of my summer, not only because I got a delicious hamburger, I also learned that amazing people could come from anywhere, even an abandoned mining town.
Coming into the internship, I had hopes of writing sports stories, but I knew they would be few and far between during the summer. I learned to appreciate the lack of sports, as I got to learn about the Lawton community more with each story I was assigned. I wrote advances for community fundraisers, covered stories over the military, sports features, all the way to missing persons cases and anything in between. From this, I learned how diverse and active the community you work in can be.
This internship was rewarding to me and opened my eyes to the joy of community journalism and being active in the community. In eight weeks, I’ve met so many new faces. Although some people might have forgotten about my existence after meeting with me, I felt every person that I encountered left some type of impression on me.
An example of this is a 94-year-old man I met during the 74th annual Korean War Memorial held in Lawton. This event happens every year and it’s usually a simple story, however, getting to meet James R. Floyd is something I will never forget.
Floyd was assigned to Korea as part of the last all-black regiment in the United States Army, the 24th Infantry Regiment. The regiment was established as one of four all-black regiments during the Civil War and was active until 1951. Hearing him speak about the horrors of war were no joke. When he began describing the issues he faced in Korea and in the army as a black man, it really opened my eyes to the atrocities he had to face to keep everyone free.
Floyd’s story is one-of-a-kind and reminds me that everyone has their own unique story. The reason being a journalist is so rewarding is because you get to hear personal accounts of local, statewide, national, and international topics. The opportunity to work in a diverse area of the state like Lawton gave me the chance to meet people with experiences I’ve never gone through and with perspectives I hadn’t thought of.
Throughout my internship, I was treated with respect and as a real employee and learned how to cover community journalism better than I could have expected. Fellow reporters Kim McConnell and Scott Rains have given me the blueprint on what it means to be a great community journalist by their passion, work ethic, and involvement in the community.
Patterson has given me incredible guidance over the last eight weeks, and I feel like I couldn’t have found a better fit in the Lawton Constitution. The experience and lessons I have learned during my time at the Constitution are priceless and I will remember my time spent here for the rest of my life.
Matthew Yokum is a third-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
