Syracuse University

Why did you choose SU?
One word - Newhouse. I wanted to attend a college where I could hone my craft by actual hands-on experience. I wanted to research stories, assemble the tripod, handle the video camera, edit my footage, and report my own story. Newhouse was the one communications college that had the tools and esteem I was looking for.   

What has been your most meaningful experience so far?
Being a reporter for CONNECT TV. Picture “60 Minutes” meets “Channel One.” CONNECT is a 30-minute television news magazine sponsored through the Newhouse school and aired locally on Channel 9. It’s an all student-produced public affairs show where reporters tell the stories of Central New Yorkers and connect those stories to the University. My most recent piece was a profile of the current Onondaga County District Attorney, William “Bill” Fitzpatrick. I told viewers why the D.A. has run unopposed for the past 28 years, how he felt convicting the “Black Widow” murderer Stacey Castor, and how much he values time with his family. Working for CONNECT has taught me the importance of finding the real story, getting to know the real people and communicating these true tales to an audience.

What's the secret of your success at SU?
Friends. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I have a noticeable trait of being type-A, always jampacking events into my schedule, always volunteering to cover the latest breaking news story and always staying up the extra hour to perfect a paper. And with a personality like mine, it’s essential to have a source of catharsis. So my main mode of winding down or turning for help is my friends. One of my closest friends here at SU once told me this quote to keep my over-achieving in check, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.” After being at Syracuse for more than two years now, I’ve learned that college offers so much more than academia. College offers relationships, relationships with the people who will continue to look out for you for the rest of your life.

How have you changed since you have been here?
Setting my own path. Before college, I followed a clearly marked path - studying hard led to good grades, a 4.0 GPA in high school led to college and scholarships, working a summer job led to a solid work ethic. But once I reached college, that path slowly started to vanish into the foreboding forest ahead. Now, there is no longer a clear path to success. Should I minor in political science or acting? Should I join the Honors Program or focus more of my energy on extra-curriculars? Should I study abroad to gain global awareness or stay in the States and gain an internship? These are all questions that I have had to ask myself throughout my time here at Syracuse. This school’s wide array of opportunity has taught me that there is not just one path to success.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
Work in media. I would expound upon this if I could, but at this point in my college career, there’s so many turns I may take. I always tell people that I am a striving investigative journalist, news talk show host and film actress. My main career goal is to tell stories. So whether that be telling a story by reporting on the latest monsoon victims or acting the role of an aspiring school teacher/single mom, only time will tell.