How media changed my life
As graduation draws closer, I’m beginning to catch myself reflecting more and more on my time and experiences over my four years as an undergraduate here at SUNY Geneseo. So many aspects of my life have changed for the better, but one that stands out is my decision halfway through college to change course and pick up a new major. At the beginning of my junior year, I changed my major from history education to communication with a journalism and media track, and I couldn’t have imagined what it's done for me since then.
Arriving in Geneseo amid COVID-19 restrictions in fall 2020, I, like many others, couldn't find a place where I fit on campus outside of the classroom. We couldn’t go into each other's rooms to hang out, many clubs weren't (or couldn’t) hold meetings, and the only thing to do was go to class and go home—it was just miserable.
Then came the 2021-22 school year, and many things went back to normal. Most, if not all, restrictions were lifted and the college experience began to feel somewhat like what I had expected while in high school. It was then that I realized that my passion for my major was simply put: gone. Maybe it was the yearning to rid myself of my poor experience of the first year, or maybe it was just never meant to be—either way—I felt the need for a change.
Writing has always been one of my favorite things to do, and I knew that if I were to switch things up, my focus would be on that. However, I also knew that I didn’t enjoy reading and that the English major was not for me. It was then that I found the communication major and the journalism-specific track and realized that’s what I needed to pursue.
From there, I switched my major almost immediately and began focusing completely on journalism. That same semester, I joined The Lamron as the Assistant Sports Editor because, along with writing, sports have always been my biggest passion. I wrote two articles during my first week, one about the Bills’ season-opening win against the Rams and the other on Aaron Judge’s pursuit of 62 home runs. I was absolutely hooked from the start. I wrote two to three articles each week that semester and haven't looked back since. The motivation I felt, and still feel, for sports journalism—and the journalistic field in general—is unmatched compared to any other.
It was also in the fall 2022 semester that I began interning in the athletic communications office in the athletics department on campus. That’s the place where I spend most of my time working outside of the classroom each week. It’s where I’ve gained the most useful skills for my professional career while here at Geneseo. I began by writing game recaps for any given sport on campus, but my role quickly changed to become more widespread. In the past year and a half, I’ve learned how to do graphic design, video work, stats, create effective social media content, and provide play-by-play commentary for various sports. The latter is something that I never thought I’d do before coming here. I had zero interest in doing anything on a microphone or in front of a camera, but that also changed.
I actually enjoyed my experience so much that I began working at 89.3 WGSU, our college’s radio station, last spring. I took a chance and created a weekly hour-long sports talk show with my friends—and somehow—it went great. We’re now 45 episodes in and eyeing a 50th episode finale to wrap things up on Monday, May 13 at 6:30 PM; be sure to tune in! Anyway, through working at the station, I got to produce some really cool projects including interviews with professional athletes and play-by-play for the Ice Knights’ entire 2023-24 season after moving into the role of Sports Director.
My proudest experience as a student, though, was probably the internship I was able to complete with SiriusXM last semester. After realizing how much I love media, I began to apply for internship after internship with large-scale media companies to try and get a feel for that environment. I also really wanted to learn more about what I wanted to do after graduation, and SiriusXM helped me do that. I worked alongside producers as a sports programming intern and worked on a few of their daily talk shows on the Mad Dog Sports Radio channel. I created promos for the channel that played on the radio, got to interview former Buffalo Bill Steve Tasker, and even had my work shown on ESPN on The Pat McAfee Show. There were so many cool moments, and I couldn’t be happier with what I got to do as an intern with the company.
I am now just over a month away from commencement, and as I begin to look into the future, I can’t help but look back on that decision to switch majors as a defining moment in my life. In doing that, I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone. Through this, I found lifelong friends, a new career path, and a renewed motivation and love for my work. This past week, I even accepted a job offer to become a full-time producer for CBS’ Binghamton news station after graduation, and I couldn’t be more excited! Take it from me, and do yourself a favor, get involved in the many media opportunities on campus. You won’t regret it!