HOUSTON – My name is Himali Wickramasinghe and I am a soon-to-be 8th grader at Fort Settlement Middle School. I have a passion for broadcast and journalism, and was fortunate to have an amazing experience here at KPRC 2!
Since a very young age, I’ve loved to talk, and I’ve been a performer since the age of two. My big obsession with broadcast journalism started last year.
My 4th period teacher used to play the afternoon announcements, and when I saw other students on the announcements talking, my dream was to one day participate. I then asked my teacher how I could be a part of the announcements.
My teacher then informed me that it was a 7th and 8th grade elective. So, when it was time to choose my electives for 7th grade, I selected broadcast as my No. 1 choice. I remember at my orientation for 7th grade, I had my fingers crossed, hoping that I would get broadcast. When I saw my schedule, I was thrilled when I saw that it was one of my classes.
When we started doing the announcements, I was super excited! When it was time for me to record my first segment, I remember having absolutely zero anxiety or nervousness. I remember taking a seat in front of the green screen and having a big smile on my face while recording!
My broadcast teacher, Ms. Miranda Burke, had always encouraged me and ALWAYS helped me whenever I asked. She taught me so much about how to use the editing software, and about the world of broadcast and journalism. I will always and forever be grateful to Ms. Burke for making my dreams of being on the school announcements come true! I applied to do it again next year and I made it!
My parents noticed my great love for this amazing industry and encouraged me to seek some opportunities, so my mom found KPRC 2, gave me their email address, and told me to write to them. I wrote a letter to the station, telling them that it would be a dream come true to see how the news is made and streamed all over Houston.
My mom sent the email to KPRC and contacted one of their employees, which is Ms. Raybin Dockery, who agreed to let me shadow her at the station for three days. I was ecstatic! I was over the moon thrilled! I could not believe it!
The moment I entered the news station, I knew I was going to have a great time learning there! I was given a tour of the entire station and I was in awe!
I loved being surrounded by people that have the same interests as me and were able to tell me what working in a real newsroom was like.
On my final day at the station, I was interviewed on KPRC 2 + livestream about myself and my passion for broadcast and overall experience. I was a little bit nervous about the interview, but as soon as we started recording, I was more at ease. It felt so good to be on TV! I felt like a celebrity! The interview was a lot of fun, and I LOVED it! It was a dream come true and I couldn’t believe it!
Something that was brought up during the interview was my YouTube channel called “History with Himali.” Aside from broadcast journalism, I also love history. In December, I took a trip to Egypt and had a great time. The stories about the pharaohs and Egyptian gods were super fascinating. Seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza was a mesmerizing experience.
Since I love history and broadcasting, my dad told me, “Why not do both?’ I loved the sound of that, so I started my channel. I don’t just teach on my channel; my channel helps me review historical stories and facts that I’ve already learned. When I forget a fact or story, I do a little online research to help me review it so that I can teach it to my audience. I love knowing that I can teach and educate people by combining the two things that I love most.
So, my overall experience at KPRC 2, has been wonderful! It has been the highlight of my summer so far and getting to see and learn how the news is produced was wonderful. I will never forget the people that I’ve met at KPRC 2, and Ms. Raybin, who showed me around, introduced me to everyone, and educated me on the wonderful world of media! Everything that I’ve learned from being at KPRC, will definitely help me when doing my school announcements next year. Being at KPRC has not only expanded my knowledge, but it has also helped me improve my speaking skills.
Being around the professionals at the station has shown me the tools and skills that are necessary for my future. I hope that someday I become a broadcaster or journalist.
So, to sum up, being at KPRC 2 was an unforgettable and awesome experience. I really hope that someday, I get to come back and work with KPRC 2 again.