Journalism Alumni return to USF

“Get an internship!” was the most common advice offered by the panel of USF alumni Journalists during the first ever Journalism Panel Discussion. This event allowed USF students interested in Journalism to get a hint of reality and helpful advice from a panel of successful Journalists.

The eight panelists, Tannie Soo Hoo, Vicky Nguyen, Jennifer Jolly, Tiffany Maleshefski, Kent German, Jessica Dryden Cook, Myra Sandoval, and Toan Lam gathered in Fromm Hall Tuesday, October 16, 2007 to discuss their experience with journalism, their careers, give some advice, and answer audience questions. Following the panel discussion it was fair game for the young, eager journalists in the audience to get their questions answered.

During an interview with Vicky Nguyen, a general assignment reporter for NBC 11, Nguyen said that internships are a great way to build credibility and learn, urging that anyone remotely interested in journalism get as many internships as possible. Moments later the lights went out and the room went dark. Un-phased, Nguyen continued to answer the question at hand. As the dark room cleared, Nguyen got real. Her answers turned from facts to advice, her tone became less assertive, and instead of standing she sat on the panel table. According to Nguyen, a journalist must be prepared for anything and often times that may take them out of their comfort zone. She also said that being shy won’t get you anywhere, and aspiring journalists must be assertive.

Nguyen started her career right out of college in Orlando Florida where she shot, wrote, and edited her stories. On the topic of convergence, Nguyen said that it is important to have some knowledge of skills other than the skill a journalist specializes in because they become more useful and beneficial to their employer. She said that her job gives her “instant gratification,” and provides amazing experiences that makes her love what she does. When asked how she handles sensitive cases and stories that involve the emotions of others Nguyen said “There’s a lot of pressure, but you have to be in job mode. You have to get there, be professional, but be human and respectful at the same time. Like, I’m the kind of person who cries when other people cry, but I can’t do that on the job.”

“Don’t be afraid,” said Nguyen when offering advice. She works 50 hours weeks, makes low six figures, and loves every minute of her job. “It is what you make of it,” she said during the panel discussion.

Another member of the panel who graduated from USF with Nguyen is Toan Lam. Lam, who now works at KRON, stressed the importance of internships. During his college education at USF, Lam had five internships. “Dress professionally at internships and act like you belong because you never know when you could be on camera,” said Lam. His advice mainly stressed the importance that young journalists get as much experience as possible and “get an internship!” “Are you willing to be broke? Are you willing to move to Timbuktu? Because if you want it, you’ll get it,” said Lam. His advice came from his personal and professional experience with journalism and his career.

Every member of the panel had valuable advice to offer, but it seemed as though almost everyone came to an agreement that internships are the most crucial part of getting started in the field of journalism.

Racist Media?

The other day I was discussing Hurricane Katrina and Kanye West's famous quote "George Bush doesn't care about black people," and something suddenly came back to my memory. One of the first stories that hit my home town (Seattle) appeared on the front page with a huge picture of people trying to find food in a flooded grocery store. The photo features two black males with grocery items in their hands, looking around as though they had done something wrong. Later in the article there was a picture of a few white people with the same amount of grocery items in their hands trying to sift through the water.
Unintentionally or not, the article made it seem as though the black men had just stolen from the grocery store and that white people had not. In actuality, both groups of people had taken from the grocery store in hopes of feeding their families for survival in the aftermath of a huge natural disaster. This made me question whether or not the editor of this paper realized what he or she had allowed to be published. The photos were an indirect example of the very racism Kanye West mentioned. It was appalling that a photo of such derogatory connotation was allowed to be published and distributed.

(I can’t recall which newspaper it came from and I haven’t been able to find it online. If anyone has any idea please let me know. I do know that it was one of the first articles that came out after the hurricane).

War Story

“They think they’re the s---,” says one USF student referring to a few freshmen ROTC boys who are flaunting around campus in their camouflage uniforms. “Yeah, well they take orders from my sister,” says the brother of sophomore ROTC student, Lisa Nelson. Though she is a nursing major, she’s trained to kill and can outdo almost anyone in a push up contest.

Born in Maryland on a military base, it was almost fate that Nelson would join ROTC at USF. Her liberal views set her apart from many of the other students in the ROTC program; she calls it a “touchy subject,” explaining that she is obligated to be on Bush’s side. “There are people I know in ROTC who do want to kill, I don’t want to unless I have to. I could never imagine shooting someone,” said Nelson. During a practice mission, Nelson recalls one of her instructors telling students to go up to the enemy and “just kill them.”

In the ROTC program, Nelson is trained to be a soldier and does not receive any special treatment for being a nurse; she is required to get the same training as all the other ROTC students. “I know how to shoot an M16,” said Nelson. ROTC training is strenuous and takes a lot of dedication.

However, as a nurse her focus is saving lives rather than destroying them. “As a nurse, you save a life no matter who needs your help,” said Nelson. There are prisoners of war who need medical help as well as American soldiers. In her nursing classes, Nelson must take oaths that reflect the values of nursing, emphasizing the importance of saving lives, no matter whose life is being saved.

Nelson does not expect to get commissioned. “The army needs leaders to maintain stations, Iraq is 100% voluntary,” said Nelson, clarifying that everyone in Iraq is there because they enlisted. She doesn’t believe that she will go to Iraq, but if she was called upon to go she would not be anywhere truly dangerous. Nelson will graduate USF as a Second Lieutenant and will be given her gold bars.

She was attracted to ROTC because the program offered a full ride to the university. USF was her dream school, according to Nelson, but tuition was too high. ROTC provides her an opportunity to receive nursing education while taking part in army training. “ROTC has changed my lifestyle and given me an identity. There’s a lot more to it than people would imagine. We all support each other. Don’t stereotype us, there’s a lot of discrimination we receive, like the dirty looks we get on the street,” said Nelson.

ROTC is a boot camp and more, according to Nelson. Being in the military teaches team work and trust. Nelson also stated that participating in ROTC takes muscular endurance for rigorous workouts; it takes dedication, and an open mind. Students who participate in the program form a bond through the intensity and spend much of their time together outside of class according to Nelson.

Nelson's family is supportive of her decision to join ROTC. Her dad was a commissioned officer but did not have much of a life so he retired. Her mother is fascinated by it all, and her brother couldn’t be more proud.

Catchy Headline

As I was searching for articles about Iraq I ran across an article headline that really caught my eye. The article was titled "No Child Left Alive," and went in to discussion about how the U.S military is allowed to recruit on all public school campuses. The author of the article expressed his concern with the fact that the military is allowed to lure young impressionable teens in to war, on school campus. However, what he was more disturbed by was that the military was allowed to do so under the "The No Child Left Behind Act." The act states, "Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of those students." The author found it ironic that this bill, which enables students to get a better education and receive great opportunities, also encourages them to join the war. His passion toward the issue allowed him to produce an extremely creative headline. I was definitely lured in by the headline and enjoyed reading the article.