Blog 4 Kevin L. France

For package three, my partner and I covered November’s midterm elections. It was a great experience working alongside the international students from Shanghai. Although, they were unfamiliar with the elections in the state of Pennsylvania they paid attention to detail and worked very hard. Our package focused on the struggling turnout at the polls and why people were uninterested in this year’s midterm election. On Election Day, my partner and I went to polls at the Hub-Robeson Center while the international students went to the polling station in Bellefonte. Communicating and making sure we were on the same page throughout the week was important to ensure our projects were informative and completed correctly.  One thing that I learned while working alongside the international students is to pay attention to detail and don’t be afraid to ask questions. People were very generous and were willing to answer questions so it’s important that we went to the polls with an open mind. The toughest part about this package was making sure we placed B-roll and interviews in a way that our story flows very well. Asking our interviewees informative and in depth questions made my job easier when putting the package together. Covering the midterm election was also a learning experience for me as I was able to become more informed about issues going on in the election. I was very impressed with how well the international students understood the English language. At times they struggled with the pronunciation and certain political terms but for the most they were very informed with the election. They were very eager to learn new things and it was a pleasure working with them. I wish we could have spent more time together after the project was completed but nevertheless it was a great opportunity collaborating with them.