The system in place will allow us to dip our toes in the water, and learn for ourselves the pace and tempo that we can expect as we continue running the station in our second year this September. Over the course of four weeks, we will be alternating positions weekly, allowing us to fully commit to four different roles pertaining to running a radio station, all before we bid farewell to the Broadcast Building for the summer.

My first role of the practicum is ‘Commercial Producer’, meaning I will be in charge of collecting scripts from our writers and turning them into coherent, broadcast-ready, pieces of advertising for the brands and companies partnered with Evolution. I will be directing my peers’ vocal performances, preparing music and sound effects, and creating professional ads that you might hear as you drive to work.

Ironically enough, I hate listening to ads. Producing them, however is much more fun. It’s my goal to create ads that both spread the good word of the brand, and entertain the listeners. All too often are there ads that are so annoying, so cliche, that one can’t be blamed for shutting the radio off altogether.

As excited as I am for this new and final chapter of my first year in the Radio Arts & Entertainment, I’m not there yet. I’m writing this very blog in the midst of the most grueling, testing week of the year, completing projects that have been months in the making, and ensuring that I am completely prepared for the on-air practicum. Wish me luck. ;)

Last year, following my first term in the program, I was feeling an overwhelming gap between how I was feeling, and where I felt my school career was going. I was depressed, detached and unable to find where it was I fit within my program. It felt like being the only fish in the pond without fins. So, instead of continuing to struggle, I left. Skip ahead six months, and I found myself travelling Europe both to “find myself”, as per the cliche, and to remove myself entirely from my life. I was searching for some perspective. In my time at school, I had become lost in assignments and deadlines, losing sight of what it was I joined the Radio program for in the first place.

In my time travelling alone, I re-associated myself with the side of me who loves to meet people; the part of me who loves to start conversations, ask questions, and immerse myself in a story. I returned home with many stories to tell, and a roaring fire lit under my feet telling me to get back into Radio.

Since my return, I’ve felt absolutely rejuvenated. Even though the fast pace that once overwhelmed me is still very much the way of BCIT, I am more prepared. I had a sneak peek of what this term entailed last year, which has helped keep me grounded in my second attempt. I’ve learned that this school, this program, is where I’m meant to be at this point in my life. Around every turn, I’m being informed by my surroundings, my emotions and my ethic that my path is clearly drawn before me.

I’m embracing tasks I would have once avoided, and more than that, I’ve devised a list of extra-curricular projects that I intend to execute as my time in the program goes on. We have access to all the best equipment and I finally find myself in a position where I can embrace it, rather than being intimidated by it.

This program is shaping who I’m going to be for the rest of my life. I can see the changes. It’s tangible. Things feel right, and for once in my life, I feel right too.