Ten Minute Interview!?

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my college experience at Westminster has been a challenging, yet extremely worthwhile journey. Looking back I can see how all the classes and projects have really transformed me into the young professional that I am today. Coming in as a freshman, I was nervous, shy, and not really sure of what I wanted to do. Now that I'm a senior I can look back and see how I have really transformed throughout the years, not just my focus, but my whole attitude. There are several classes that I believe have played a large role in making me who I am today.

TV and Radio announcing with Dr. B was one of my BC electives second semester of my sophomore year. I first decided to take this class because it sounded like fun and I really enjoy having Dr. B as a professor. However, on the first day of class I was second guessing myself when we were handed a syllabus with all of the assignments we would be doing throughout the semester. Ten-minute interviews, live radio remotes, and so much more. I was overwhelmed and wasn't sure if I would make it through this class.

One of my first ten-minute interviews for this class was to be with Kayla, who is a blind student. It was to be used as part of the Round Table series for Titan Radio. I was extremely nervous. I remember thinking, "how do I get in contact with her?" " Do I send her an e-mail?" "Does she even have e-mail?" I know it may sound silly, but just getting in contact with her and going about asking her to do an interview was a little bit of a challenge for me. The second challenge for me was figuring out what kind of questions to ask her. I had to do a lot of research and come up with many questions that I thought would be appropriate for the interview. To my surprise, probably the easiest part of this whole project was the interview itself. Kayla was such an easy person to talk with and was willling to talk about anything and everything. That long ten minutes ended up flying by for me.

I had many more projects like this for TV and Radio announcing, and as the semester went on I could see myself really improving and getting more comfortable with radio interviews. This class truly was an eye-opening experience. I realized then that if I was going to be in this business I can't be a shy person and I can't be intimidated by simple assignments. I also learned that by challenging myself I actually gain a lot more rather than always looking for the easy way out. I'm very thankful for all of the classes, professors, and projects that have challenged me to get me where I am today.

10 Years From Now...

This past weekend was Homecoming here at Westminster. Each year so many alum come back to WC to watch the parade, visit the college campus, and of course, meet up with old friends and fellow classmates. This weekend I got the opportunity to meet up with old friends and see how their lives were going. Some had jobs in the field, some were still living at home, and some were either in grad school or law school. It's kind of scary to think that next time Homecoming rolls around, I'll be the one answering all the questions about my current life and occupation. However, it will be such a great experience to talk with my fellow capstoners and see how their lives are going as well.

If I could look to the future 10 years from now I think there is one person from my class in particular who I would be interested in seeing what they're up to. Doug Kunst, who is actually a year older than me, has really impressed me over the years. Even though he may not like being at Westminster for an extra semester I'm glad he's here because he always has a positive attitude and brings humor to our class. Over the past two years in particular though I've really noticed Doug excelling and taking on new tasks. For example, this year for his capstone project he's been covering the Wilmington Greyhounds football team each home game and has created a video blog where he posts updates on each game. My first time watching his video blog I was so shocked! I thought to myself, "Wow, Doug is really good at this, why hasn't he done more reporting?" Not only is Doug good at putting the story together, but he does it in such a fun and unique way which really makes it interesting to watch.

Along with his current project, Doug has always been involved in the major. Doug does a lot for out weekly news show, The County Line. I have to admit Doug is my all-time favorite director. He's very cool, calm, and collected when he directs a show and it just brings a positive atmosphere to the rest of the show. Doug has also been involved in TitanTown sports each year. Although I'm surprised Doug hasn't done more on-air stuff, since he's so good at it on his blog, he's really great at working behind the scene.

I think I'll be most interested in seeing what Doug is doing 10 years from now because he always seems to surprise me whether it's in sports, on-air, or directing. I could see Doug doing a number of things once he graduates. I could see him working with some type of sports team, working as a director at a news station, or even being on-air talent! Whatever Doug Kunst is doing 10 years from now though I know he'll be excelling and be doing it with a positive attitude!

Andy on the Air

When I was a freshman I looked up to the seniors so much and was so impressed with their knowledge and how dedicated they were to the major. The funny thing is, now 3 years later, I look at some of the underclassman and think the same thing. However, I feel that one person in particular has the potential to really shine.

When my sophomore year started, Andy Borts was one of the freshman broadcasters that I noticed right away. He was so excited to jump right in and get started. Coming in to college he already had a background in radio and DJing, but he's always up to learning something new. Not only is he very talented, but he also has a great personality. I don't think I've ever seen Andy in a bad mood. He always has a positive, upbeat attitude that puts a smile on everyone's face.

At the end of his freshman year I remember that he was voted by the broadcast majors as the "Most Valuable Freshman," which I agree with. Andy has really stepped it up and taken on a lot of responsibilities. He's currently our Music Director at Titan Radio as well as on-air talent. Even though Andy has a strong background in radio I really admire him for experiencing all aspects of broadcasting. He's done announcing for football games, reporting for the County Line, and he's currently the host for Coach's Corner.

Not only is Andy great at what he does, but he's also great at encouraging others. Whether it's upperclassman or freshman, Andy is always willing to lend a hand. Another thing I notice about Andy is he's very dedicated and he takes his responsibilities seriously. For example, last month, Amanda and I were in the radio station to do our Thursday morning talkshow. However, to our surprise their was no sound coming from the board or over the radio. We didn't know what was wrong so we called Andy to see if he had any idea. At 7 in the morning Andy came right over to the radio station (even though he was sleeping) to try and fix the problem.

Overall, I think Andy will really go far with his talent and personality. He's always striving to get better at what he does and I really admire that. As long as he keeps doing what he's doing, I think next year Andy will definitely be one of the seniors that the freshman look up to!

Looking Up to a Westminster Alum

Now that I'm a senior broadcast major I feel as though I have some large shoes to fill. The previous senior broadcast students were all very dedicated to the major and worked really hard. My fellow seniors and I have been trying to step up and take on this leadership role and maybe even become mentors to some of the underclassmen. I know when I was an underclassman I definitely looked up to a lot of the seniors.

Although there are several Westminster alumi who have had an impact on my college career, there is one person who I look up to more than others. Chris Norris (aka Chucko), who graduated last spring, has always impressed me with his broadcast skills. Whether it was anchoring, reporting, filming, or announcing, Chris always knew what he was doing and was good at it. However, I think one thing that Chris and I both have in common is we both really enjoy editing.

I remember when I was a sophomore I was in video production class with Mr. Weaver and he had us make individual mini-movies as one of our video projects. This was probably one of my favorite college courses because it wasn't strictly focused on news and it let me be really creative with my projects. For my individual mini-movie I filmed a really cheesy "scary" movie, starring my fellow capstoner, Amanda Conway. I remember when I went into the edit bay to capture my video I wasn't real sure of how to do it. Luckily, Chris was there working on a project and he was very willing to help me out. As I sat there and let my extremely "cheesy" video capture I was thinking that Chris probably thought I was crazy, but to my surprise he watched some of the video while it was capturing and said, "wow, you can do a lot of cool stuff with this when you edit."

Not only is Chris extremely talented at editing, but he's also very versatile in other aspects of broadcasting. He was always involved with the County Line whether it was reporting, anchoring, or producing. He was involved in sports as well. He did packages for Titan Town sports and announced the Men's basketball games. Chris was also invovled with the radio station by doing news and DJ shifts throughout his college career.

I really look up to Chris and admire him. I believe that seeing him work so hard has really pushed me to work harder. Now that I'm a senior, I feel as though I have to take on the responsibility of stepping up and being a role model to the underclassmen. Hopefully someday someone will look up to me as I do to Chris.