Category: Journalism

Get to know some of our College of Media alumni. Rosie Powers (BS ‘12, journalism) is a self-employed consultant. Powers also participated in a Media Career Night alumni panel on “Nonprofits” in Spring 2022. Watch a recording of the session here.

How did the College of Media prepare you for your future?
The college had great courses that addressed the changing media landscape. Pairing that with traditional journalism skills of writing and copy editing felt like a good mix. I took a multimedia journalism course at the beginning of social media, and the idea of being a multimedia reporter was new and cutting-edge. You’d be someone reporting live on the field rather than solely writing in the newsroom, and it helped me think of myself as more than a writer. The College of Media also provided a well-connected alumni network, so it was easier for students like me to apply for internships and jobs after we were introduced to those who came before us.

During and right after college, how did you go about getting internships and jobs?
I applied everywhere in Chicago because I was an overachiever, but between my freshman and sophomore years, I had an internship at Lake County Journal, where I wrote a couple of stories a week. The following summer, I interned as a digital producer at WGN, then I interned at NBC, and later The Washington Post. I knew I wanted to do digital production, and even though my background was in newspapers, I applied to television stations. I realized early on that I could re-envision my skill set, so my advice would be don’t be afraid to apply for everything, even if you fear not having the skill set or experience required. Just try it because I think places are eager to teach people, and I had great experiences with all my internships.

What has your career path looked like since graduation?
I graduated from the College of Media in 2012 as a news-editorial journalism major with a minor in environmental science. After graduation I had an internship with The Washington Post; then I moved on to work for the Chicago Sun-Times, specifically for Oak Park and River Forest—those suburban publications—for a few years, and then I worked as a digital producer at ABC 7 Chicago. I liked my journalism career, and I’m proud of it, but in my mid-20s, I was ready for a change. I realized I could take my writing and storytelling skills from journalism and apply them to help nonprofits and further causes that are important to me, and it’s been about eight or nine years now down this new path. I totally pivoted my career.

What does your career look like now after this pivotal moment?
I work for myself, so I’m like a self-employed contractor. I used to work full-time, but I discovered advertising and branding agencies specific to the nonprofit space. I thought that was cool and I could be a consultant; now, I work with three different consultancies, and Mission Minded, a branding agency, is one of them. I do brand and website strategy for them while working with Column & Row, a consultancy that does web strategy and SEO with nonprofits and foundations, and I’m a consultant with Tiny Windows Consulting in Chicago, doing digital communications work. I do different types of strategy depending on who I’m working with, whether it’s brand, web, or digital communications.

What are you most proud of?
My career transition. I thought during high school that I would be in journalism forever and also because of my parents—my dad worked the same job for 30 years. When I was growing up, I thought, “I’m going to pick my job, and the path is always the same.” I was proud of my journalism career; it was rewarding, but I felt I achieved what I wanted there and wanted what was next. That pivot was freeing, exciting, and scary because I’d never thought about doing anything else professionally. But I knew I wanted something else and went for that, even though it was terrifying, having to relearn how to do other things. I think there’s a full circle—maybe this is what I wanted to do all the time but didn’t know it existed. I was able to do that, do journalism for a few years, and get a great experience.

What’s one piece of advice you would give students?
College is four of the greatest years, and—this is stereotypical to say—it goes by fast, especially after freshman year. Remember to enjoy it, even with all the stress about internships and questioning what you’re doing over the summer. Remember to try new things to broaden your horizons and envision your skill set. Don’t put yourself in one box because you’re not going to know what you want to do in 10 years or 15; for me, it totally changed, and there’s no way you can know that when you’re a freshman.

—Interview by Chloe Barbarise, New Voices Intern

Get to know some of our College of Media alumni. Bianca Flowers (BS ’13, journalism) is a global race and justice correspondent at Reuters.

What experiences motivated you to choose Illinois?
Growing up on the west side of Chicago, I took inspiration from my favorite news anchors and I had always had an affinity for storytelling. As I got older, my love for storytelling, creative writing, and hearing the stories of others continued. Additionally, I enjoyed sports, and I knew Illinois could help me expand on that area of focus in journalism. My sister always told great stories about the professors here, and I knew Illinois had such a great reputation, but what sold me was my campus visit in high school. Overall, it felt like home, and I knew I wanted to maintain my family’s bloodline connection to Illinois as the second person in my family to graduate from the institution.

What opportunities did you take advantage of to explore your passion for sports journalism?
I worked for Fighting Illini Productions early in my college career, which refined my media editing skills. Not only did I receive a high-caliber experience by being able to tell the exclusive stories of athletes, but I also became a great producer, editor, and videographer through my work. Overall, Fighting Illini Productions gave me a taste of what the broadcast media industry is like, and many students don’t get these types of experiential learning opportunities, like partnering with the Big Ten Network, until their junior or senior year. Additionally, I created my own blog, which I maintained during my undergraduate years, which helped me build journalistic storytelling skills in a digital-based format. This experience allowed me to become more independent in my work and was instrumental in preparing me for a career in journalism.

Who guided you to excel in a professional media career at Illinois?
I pursued business journalism because of Lynn Holley. She was a business journalist who lectured at Illinois, and I would pop into her office as she had an open-door policy. I remember she said that if you specialize in a particular media area, you make yourself much more marketable, and you can build your brand and identity. At the time, there weren’t any business journalism courses, but Holley’s advice encouraged me to pursue this style of journalism and take every opportunity I saw. In the media industry, I often didn’t see other people who looked like me doing business journalism, meaning Black students or reporters. However, Holley helped me create that opportunity for myself. Business journalism still plays a role in my current position at Reuters as a global race and justice correspondent, as money is often involved in every type of reporting. I include this connection in the tapestry that helped me progress more in my career.

In your current role as a global race and justice correspondent at Reuters, how do you use your platform to advocate for others?
I use my platform to initiate conversations within my community and at groups within my organization about how we should consider covering race and justice. When I’m talking to emerging journalists or students, I think it’s essential for them to know that if you identify as a minority, there are opportunities for you to pursue areas of reporting that you are interested in while advocating for yourself and others. As you continue to grow in your career, lifting others as you climb up is essential. I want to be known as someone who is constantly advocating for young girls to open doors that they may be scared to open because they probably don’t see folks like myself at media organizations. At Reuters, we always have those conversations within our walls to keep in mind how we’re interviewing and hiring journalists of all backgrounds. We focus on where we need to improve our diversity and inclusion initiatives to lift those voices up. Advocacy work is extremely important to me, and it always will be.

—Interview by Mallory Miller, New Voices Intern

Get to know some of our College of Media alumni. Mike Dalton (BS’ 12, journalism) is currently a programmatic sales director with Raptive. Dalton also participated in a Media Career Night alumni panel on “Sales and Retail Communication” in Spring 2024. Watch a recording of the session here.  

What brought you to the College of Media at the University of Illinois?
I knew I wanted to do something within media, specifically journalism. My freshman year was the first year that the College of Media expanded the journalism program into a four-year program. During my visit to campus, I was told that the program was pretty selective, so when I got in, I think I was just filled with a lot of excitement about that, and I loved the campus.

What were some of your favorite classes that you took at Illinois?
One of my all-time favorite classes, and one of the hardest classes I ever took, was JOUR 411: Law and Communications, with Professor Steve Helle. I found that to be one of the most interesting classes the University offered within the program. It was high stakes. Everyone was giving it 110% because the exams were tough, but it was so rewarding and I learned a lot from that class. The way that it was set: you did not have to take the first two midterms, but you had to take the final, that was weighted more if you chose not to take the midterms. It was a really cool way for the professor to put the trust into the students’ hands. I took the course in the second semester of my senior year, and it was literally like, “I need to pass this class and graduate.” It was just a tremendous course that I still think about to this day.

What RSOs were you involved in during your time at the University?
I got started with Fighting Illini Productions, where I was filming sporting events and making edits and highlight videos for the teams. Eventually, I was filming with the big board cameras for the video boards at Memorial Stadium and State Farm Center. I did that, and then me and some other students co-founded JAMS, which was journalism, advertising, and media studies. We would put together a TV broadcast a few times a semester and give everyone a chance to get a head start on working in a studio and putting together a program. I started a part of it called Movie Corner where I would give movie reviews. It was just a really great experience to be able to feel that we were building something special in the college because, again, this was the first time that journalism was open to underclassmen.

What are some lessons that you learned through the College of Media and your RSOs?
Fighting Illini Productions trained me on being accountable, and I think that that is huge. We had to go there ridiculously early on football gamedays to get everything ready; then after games we’d have to dump tape and upload our footage and then get ready and be editing and start helping piece together highlights. There were plenty of times when it was 9, 10, 11, midnight, and I was sitting in the editing bay working to get my tapes done, my highlights done, and my cuts done for review by the staff within the production department. It felt stressful at the time, but it was an accountability thing that they taught us because we had a job there, and a job as students, and we had to find a way to get both things done. That’s life now. I have a family, I have personal interests, I have a career, and I have to juggle all those different things and be accountable for the work that I say that I’ll get done. That’s an experience that stuck with me.

What skills did you learn through studying journalism that you’re able to use today in your advertising sales job?
The way that you sell advertising solutions is by asking the right questions. That comes from my background in journalism. I have an interest in learning more, I want to recall things that clients tell me, and I think that that makes me more relatable and personable. All that comes from having it drilled into my brain from the College of Media—the journalism classes specifically. Dive deeper, find the story, get an answer. If you don’t like the answer you’re given the first time, find a different way to ask that question. That all came from the college.

What advice would you give to current College of Media students?
I think everyone should utilize their time at the University to lean into what interests them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something like Fighting Illini Productions or starting a broadcast channel of underclassmen but lean into what interests you. I leaned into cinema studies as a minor because that interested me, and I knew that that was something I cared about. I leaned into an extra focus on Recreation, Sport and Tourism, pairing my interests with sports and the business side of them. Find time to lean into the things that you think might interest you. I guarantee you that it’ll help you in the long run with time management, accountability, and checking boxes. The second piece I would say is to reach out to alumni; find them on LinkedIn. The people that attend Media Career Nights or speak on Zooms, don’t be afraid to reach out to them and ask questions or ask for help. That’s how we all get by; we utilize our connections and our network to find an avenue or opportunity for us both professionally and personally. I think that that’s something that everyone should consistently remember to do.

—Interview by Brendan Gallian, New Voices Intern