When I first had the opportunity to visit Cabrini on Accepted Students Day in April of 2010, I knew it would be a right fit for me.
I’ll be first to admit that during my senior year of high school, I got lazy with the college search. While my peers were committing to schools all over the country, I was still trying to decide where I wanted to go. I blindly applied to Cabrini based off of information they sent me and it looks as if it’s been a great choice.
I knew throughout high school that I wanted to study the communications field, hopefully in sports broadcasting or sports journalism, or something along those lines. Cabrini has given me the opportunity to involve myself with all of that and more.
In the spring semester of my freshman year, I involved myself with the college’s radio station, 89.1 WYBF-FM. Working with the radio station has given me the opportunity to produce my own show every week, as well as a chance to broadcast Cavalier sporting events over the air, including the men’s basketball team’s historic run in the 2012 NCAA Division III tournament. Next fall, I will be working as the assistant operations manager for the station, so it’s nice to see progress being made throughout my time here.
This past fall, I had the opportunity to write for the Loquitur. When I started, I wasn’t the best writer out there. I’m still not the best writer. However, working with the Loquitur has strengthened my writing considerably and also taught me skills such as professional use of social media, WordPress and Associated Press style. It also gave me valuable experience working under tight deadlines.
I also had the opportunity this past year to cover National Hockey League games from the press box as a writer for the Loquitur. Writing from the press box gave me a chance to network with professionals in the industry, which is always valuable. I also had chances to interview writer Bill Meltzer and Anaheim Ducks star Bobby Ryan for two different stories, which were nothing short of great experiences. Next fall, I’ll be a news editor, working in the department where I got my start with the Loquitur.
This semester, I also started working on our LOQation news program, as an on-camera news anchor. I had been doing work as a news anchor back in high school, and it is great to be doing it all over again. LOQation works as a team to provide an excellent show every week, and I enjoy working as part of this team.
If I had to pick a favorite aspect of the communications department, I would say that I enjoy the emphasis on working for all four years. The faculty in the department truly cares about success of the students, and they encourage working for all four years to build as much experience as possible. Several friends of mine that go to different schools for communications tell me that they don’t get chances to get involved until the tail end of their college careers, so it’s nice to have an opportunity to get as much experience as possible over a four-year period.
Another positive aspect of the communications department is the people in it. Because many of us all work for the same goals, it’s nice to have a teamwork aspect. Many friendships are made in the department because of how tight-knit it can be.
When I made the decision to come to Cabrini two years ago, I knew it would be the right choice for me. Working in the communications department truly has helped emphasize that and I feel that there are still good things to come.
