I spent three months as a staff reporter at a local newspaper in Cape Town, South Africa. My role was general assignment, and a mix of covering the news of the day and features. One morning I’d be covering a city protest; the next, I’d be interviewing restaurant owners in a revitalized neighborhood. I spent a night on the floor of a casino; another on a ride along with an undercover officer busting drag racers. I went shark cage diving in the Great White capital of the world and sipped pinotage and chenin blanc while reporting from South Africa’s historic wine country. Every assignment was an adventure and an exercise in adaptability, curiosity, and storytelling.

One of my favorite parts of being a journalist is that no two days or stories are ever the same. You're constantly learning and having to adapt. That sense of unpredictability was magnified during my internship in Cape Town. Every morning I walked into the newsroom, something new would be thrown my way.

I had to navigate unfamiliar laws, languages, and cultural norms while finding ways to connect with people. That experience living and working in a foreign country gave me a new sense of my own capabilities.

Lean into the uncertainty and the challenge, because that’s where the growth (and the fun!) happens. An international internship isn’t just a line on your résumé. It’ll be one of the coolest things you'll ever get to do, and hopefully shape how you see the world and yourself in it.