I'm a television reporter for a local Southern California news station. My responsiblities include news gathering, reporting breaking news, writing news stories, meeting daily deadlines, and pitching unique story ideas.

EDUCATION | I received my undergraduate degree in communications, and my master's in broadcast journalism.

HOW TO GET STARTED | I would suggest getting a degree in broadcast journalism. While in school, work for free! It's important to find internships that will allow you to practice what you're learning! If you already have another full-time job, but have always been curious about a career in reporting/journalism--I think there are plenty of options. Online video and websites have opened so many more doors for people to explore their own creative side. Take advantage of it. Call up a few online magazines and blogs and see if they need some extra articles or videos. They may not pay you but you want that experience! Lastly, local TV news is not glamorous. People often ask me, "Does someone do your hair and make-up?" The answer is no, and I pay for the makeup products myself. The role journalists have every day is very important, but it is a hard and challenging job. We hold people and systems, like the government, accountable.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Approachable, inquisitive, curious, tough skinned, aggressive, motivated, thoughtful, flexible, a bit of a multi-tasker.

how I got started | I was fortunate enough to be able to land a couple hands on internships that allowed me to use what I was learning in college and apply it in the real world. I accepted an internship in Fargo, North Dakota for a summer. I was not paid at all, but the news director let me be on air. He said, "If you're willing to come to North Dakota for a summer and not get paid, then I'll give you air time." He kept his promise and after 3 months of venturing thousands of miles away from friends and family, I left with a solid resume tape. I did the same thing in Boston for Neighborhood Network News (NNN). After graduation, I scored my first job six weeks later in a small market in the deep South. My starting salary was ,000. So, I went from working for free to working for almost for free!

why this job?| As a child, I remember being obsessed with celebrities and movie stars. I prayed that one day I could host a show like the Oscars, chat with John Travolta about his upcoming movie, and host my own TV show like Oprah. Two years later, I was watching the news and it just clicked for me. I said to myself, "that is it, that's what I want to do." Without hesitation, I switched majors and got myself heading in the right direction. I found I had a knack for asking questions and writing stories. I have yet to host the Oscars, talk to Travolta or launch my own show, but who knows my career is still in its infancy and I'm on the right track!

why I love this job!| I love the variety and I love being on the frontlines of major news events. The opportunity to tell people what's going on in their community when it really matters is an honor. When news is breaking and I'm in the middle of it, the adrenaline rush is invigorating. I love having people trust me to tell their story. I consider it a great responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. My favorite part of the day is sitting in front of the computer and creating and weaving together a story for broadcast.

my typical day| We start each day with a news meeting and we decide what each reporter will cover on that day. From there, I'll make any appropriate phone calls needed to try and set up a story. Usually, I just hit the door and make calls from the road or go and start knocking on doors. Usually, three days out of the week field reporters and photographers are re- routed because of breaking news. This can happen up to 3 times in one day! So, reporters must be able to roll with the punches and meet very strict deadlines. If not, you'll wilt away from all the stress.

what they are | There are many obstacles I face every single day. Live trucks break down every week limiting our ability to cover news appropriately. With the recent media cutbacks, we're understaffed. Our job responsibilities have doubled. Before, I was responsible for putting together a story for one newscast, maybe two. Now, it's not unusual to be a part of 4 newscasts a day. Often times, interviewees will cancel on you at the last minute leaving you scrambling to put something decent together. While the internet has many positive features, it has weakened the television news industry. Fewer people watch local news now, they'll go to the internet instead. Often times, reporters will hop from market to market or town to town to gain experience. This means leaving friends and family and galloping across the country to different cities to ‘climb the ladder’. This emotionally and physically takes a toll on a person, and sometimes it takes at least a year to adjust. Starting over and being the new kind on the block in a newsroom also required a lot of energy and stamina.

all about growth | I think there's plenty of growth for people who chose journalism as a career. There's always going to be a place where people can write and share stories. The mediums may change, but there's always going to be stories to be told. There will always be news events happening, natural disasters to report about, etc. These stories can't be told without video to go with them and reporters to help gather the facts.

my website|