A Lesson in Humility

Words of wisdom from SJI alumn Candace Buckner: “You don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t try to be what you're not,” she said as she wrapped up her point. The Class of 2001 graduate, now the Indiana Pacers beat writer for the Indianapolis Star, spoke to the 2016 class on Monday about checking our egos at the door when we arrive at our internships. It was a timely reminder for the class as we marched through the fourth day of bootcamp. Journalism is a craft that takes time and practice to refine. And for Buckner, that process included having veterans like Sandy Rosenbush and Leon Carter “tear apart” her work. She attributed her success to the lessons she learned during her time at SJI, adding that being open to that feedback played a critical role in her ability to turn those negatives into positives. Rosenbush added to the importance of accepting feedback, paraphrasing David Squires to say at least 10 percent of criticism we might receive at any point in our career will hold some weight—even if it is given with ill-intent. -- Katie Richcreek