Behind the Scenes with Olena Heu

During my internship at KHON2 this semester, I've met almost all of the reporters (except the weekend ones) but by far my favorite is Olena. When I first started and didn't know much she really helped me get used to things at the station. I thought she'd be a perfect person to feature as the subject of my photo story.

Throughout the past semester I've had the privilege of following her on assignments. We first went to a doctor's office where we interviewed the mother of a child who had a seizure a few years ago, was in a coma and is now doing better. They were hosting a fundraiser that weekend to raise money to cover the medical costs. I learned a lot by watching her interview the mother about a sensitive subject. Then I interviewed the doctor and got tips from her along the way. Since then, I've seen how much she cares about people, even just those she's just met. We went to a street in Aina Haina that was flooded after the heavy rains and while interviewing a home owner there she made a lot of calls and went out of her way to get them help. Instead of just getting interviews for a good story, I learned that building relationships with people is way more satisfying. 

After filming this interview, we learned that she had won an award for a story on a Marine coming home who had never met his baby. Congratulations! She later told me that when she became a reporter one of her goals was not only to be 'the reporter that when she walked in people would know that she would get a great story,' but to be an award-winning reporter. Congratulations x2! What a great accomplishment for such a deserving reporter. I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to do what she does. Who knows, maybe one day you'll see us on the news together. :) 

Throughout this experience I've learned so much that I wouldn't have necessarily learned from a book or in class. It's been one that I definitely don't want to end. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photo story! Let me know what you think! :)