When Robert Trishman was a kid, he won first place in many spelling bees.  “I can’t stand misspelled words.  I think that drove me to find an interest in copy-editing and writing,” he said.

Trishman fits the stereotypical image of a businessman or a computer specialist, but he is neither.  He aspires to become a journalist and part-time poet.  A senior at Penn State Harrisburg, Trishman is ready to leave the classroom and embark on the journey into the “real world.”

Copy-editing is something he recently found he loved.  He is a member of the staff of The Capital Times, Penn State Harrisburg’s student newspaper.  He started as a staff writer who showed up for the late night editing sessions before the issue went to print. When things got busy during editing, Trishman found himself stepping up to the computer and making the corrections found during proofing.  He was hooked.

“I just love it.  I find myself reading and proofreading and correcting not only my stuff but others’ stuff as well… I still think it was those spelling bees that did this,” Trishman said.

In addition to journalistic writing and copy-editing, Trishman writes poems about and for friends.  “It’s not a frequent occurrence, but when I’m inspired I write it,” he said.  When inspiration hits, Trishman just lets it flow.  “Sometimes it’s long, other times not so long… it doesn’t always rhyme, but sometimes it might… and sometimes I share.”

Trishman attributes some of his urges to be a journalist to his travel experiences.  One trip that sticks out most in his mind is a day trip to Tijuana a few years ago.

“Tijuana is a very sad place,” he said.  “It is so sad seeing these little kids with little guitars playing in streets begging for money.”

Spending three hours in Tijuana was enough for Trishman, who ventured there from San Diego, Calif. on a day trip with his family.  Disheartened by the panhandling and begging, Trishman recalls some of the local merchants saying anything to make a sale.

“The more you refused them, the lower the prices went.  One man actually was yelling to us as we were leaving that everything was 99 percent off,” said Trishman.  “Another said, ‘Last chance to get ripped off before you go back to the U.S.A.’”

Finding the poverty overwhelming, the journalist in Trishman saw a story.  “I would go back there and cover it as a journalist.  What goes on there, especially those children, is something that the American public should know about.”

It is easy to see what makes Rob Trishman want to be a journalist and it’s not so hard to fathom him as a poet.  Quiet and composed, curious and enthusiastic, fascinated and compelled by the world, Trishman is following his gut, or his heart and wants to make a career out of doing what he loves.