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While the past certainly contributed to feeling at home this summer in Vilnius, it was her future that led the journalism and public health studies double major to Lithuania’s capital city.

As a part of the , Jurevicius conducted a five-week internship with Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), a cornerstone of the country’s media landscape since 1926, serving as a broadcast sports journalism intern. Her responsibilities included compiling packages, readers and VOSOTS for video production editors; creating questions, transcribing and shadowing interviews with Olympic athletes; and translating articles from Lithuanian to English.

At the same time, Jurevicius’ summer experience allowed her to deepen her connection to her Lithuanian heritage.

A quarter century ago, Jurevicius’ parents immigrated from the country on the Baltic Sea to the greater Chicago area. While Monika Jurevicius was born and raised in Palatine, Illinois, her family held their cultural roots close. Lithuanian was her first language. She attended a Lithuanian school and camp. And the family returned to its home country during the summers.

“My whole family is from Lithuania,” Jurevicius said. “My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 2000, sacrificing everything they knew to start brand new. The only thing they never made a sacrifice on was giving up on our roots.”

While raised in a culturally rich Lithuanian environment in the United States, the rising sophomore found that Vilnius presented a unique opportunity to practice her language and journalism skills abroad. A multicultural hub on the border of Belarus and Poland, the city is widely known for its medieval architecture, winding cobblestone streets, and flourishing tech industry.

Jurevicius felt the capital was student friendly, with Vilnius University nearby, and has easy access to activities, landmarks and businesses – “the perfect place for me to start my professional journalism journey,” she said.

The aspiring journalist relished the opportunity to work with LRT, an outlet she watched as a child with her relatives. Even then, as a youngster, Jurevicius recalls being drawn to news reporting and coverage. The internship provided Jurevicius with a platform to explore multiple fields of journalism, from reporting to video production, and she appreciated the news outlet’s flexibility and openness.

As a high schooler, Jurevicius got her start in sports journalism, serving as both a sports reporter and sports editor at her school’s news outlet. In the years since, including her first year on campus working with , she has primarily concentrated on general news coverage. But she tapped into her sports experience with LRT, and she enjoyed covering familiar topics.

“I always find myself drawn back to covering sports,” Jurevicius said, noting she played several during her childhood. And she’s hopeful to handle some sports coverage in the upcoming year.

While Jurevicius is a sports fan, her internship did challenge her to learn about a few new sports, including eventing, which can best be described as an equestrian triathlon, and the triple-jump in track and field.

In her role, Jurevicius contributed to pieces on javelin thrower Edis Matusevičius and triple-jumper Dovilė Kilty, and she enjoyed translating an article about Olivija Baleišytė, a Lithuanian road and track cyclist.

Discovering and delving into new athletic competitions opened her eyes to just how far the sports world extends. Jurevicius said she enjoyed that her work didn’t merely focus on prominent sports, such as American football and the NBA, which receive the lion’s share of attention in the States.

Her internship didn’t come without hurdles. Admittedly, Jurevicius said she faced a language barrier, despite being fluent in Lithuanian. “There were phrases and words I just didn’t understand,” she said. “It was especially tough when I knew something, but there were multiple meanings to a phrase. It could be frustrating.”

However, with time, her language skills improved, and she learned how to take feedback – and grow from it. By the conclusion of her internship, it was not uncommon for supervisors to praise on her translated pieces.

“The experience taught me how to be a better communicator in Lithuanian and to native speakers,” she said.

Jurevicius expressed appreciation for the mentorship she received while working at LRT, especially from Dovilė Šeduikytė, head of the network’s sports group. Having a strong female model allowed Jurevicius to see her own potential future. “She showed me how much women can do in male-dominated fields,” the ���ϲ����� student said. “It’s inspiring to see what I can do and be one day after my studies.”

Jurevicius said she can see how she’s grown over the last year or two, transitioning from a timid teenager with limited understanding of journalism, and even less about how to network.

“This year, at school, with ENN, and abroad, I feel I have really flourished and built new skills,” she said.