What a scene! (Photo: Joshua Mellin)

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Chicago Cubs are finally in the World Series!

Clinching their first National League Championship since 1945, this is the first time the Cubs have played in a World Series game in 71 years.

Even bigger than that? If the Cubs win the World Series, it’ll be the first time that that has happened since 1908.

1908.

That’s right, the Cubs haven’t seen, felt or had a World Series win in 108 years.

So, right about now, you might be asking yourself, “Why is she telling me all this?”

Well, because all of this information is part of the reason I am where I am today.

You see, baseball isn’t just a game to me, it’s something I love.

Growing up, my father would watch games with me, telling me stories of him playing in Dominican Republic and teach me statistics and strategy along the way.

He made baseball more than just a sport, he made a part of who I am.

Best birthday present ever! (Photo: Elaine Rojas-Castillo)

But, for the longest time, I never thought I could do anything with that love.

As a woman, pursuing sports journalism always seemed out of my reach, namely because I was too afraid to be judged or rejected due to looks, lack of knowledge or anything else that might spring to mind.

This year, however, was different. Being a lifelong Cubs fan, this year just felt special.

That, along with the fact that there was a woman running for president, suddenly made it seem like things weren’t so out of my reach anymore.

But, that fear didn’t want to go away that easily. Once I finally embraced my passion for the field and the potential success it could bring me, I had to start pursuing it.

This semester, I am taking Metro Minutes, one of the television news classes offered in the undergraduate journalism department as a graduate level independent study. In this class, we write, report, film, edit and anchor pieces for a weekly news program. Because of this newfound acceptance for my interest, I knew I had to use this platform to try and practice my sports reporting skills.

So, during our weekly planning meeting for the show, I pitched a story on the Cubs winning streak and got it! I was so excited to finally get the chance to use my chops on this type of story, I couldn’t wait to get started.

From cutting the MLB footage, getting interviews and getting to watch the games as “research,” suffice it to say, I loved every minute of it.

I’m still in the beginning stages of pursuing this interest full force, but based on that story went, I’m really hopeful things will continue to go well. Who knows, maybe one day, you’ll see me on the sidelines of the World Series!

Check out my story on the Cubs at the 5 minute mark of our episode of Metro Minutes…and you might notice a familiar face anchoring throughout the broadcast!

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/187725763[/vimeo]