The Value of a Liberal Arts Education

When entering Westminster College as a first year, one of the first things you hear is about the value of a liberal arts education. Basically, this means that a college believes by taking many different courses in many different field you can broaden your horizon of education. Some of the classes I've had to take to fulfill this requirement include writing, speech, swimming, political sceine, philosophy and many others. I have enjoyed all of the courses I have taken here at Westminster but the one class I had the toughest time grasping was Astronomy. I took Astronomy last semester with Dr. Lightner. Dr. Lightner was a wonderful professor and full of life and knowledge. This man was literally an encyclopedia on Astronomy! I respected him very much and was glad to be in his last class before he retired from Westminster. So I do not blame my difficulty in this course on the professor at all, but I just never really learned to grasp it. I went into Astronomy thinking "This should be an easy science course, we'll just study planets and stars and the galaxies." While we did do those things, Astronomy is much more involved than just studying starts and planets. By definition, Astronomy is scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation). It is concerned with the evolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well as the formation and development of the universe. As you can see, there are many different types of sciences involved in the study of Astronomy. We learned a wide array of information while in the course, and I definnitely thought the class was interesting and inspired me to learn more. The information was so complex however that no matter how long I studied, I always came up a little bit short. I passed the class successfully though and I am actually glad I took this course because I believe it opened up my mind to many things I normally wouldn't think about. The value of a liberal arts education is very apparent to me now, and has showed me how it can help me grow.

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

I would like to give a huge thank-you to all of my fellow BC major class-mates. You guys have all helped me out so much and I think everyone in my class definitely has their own strengths which together builds an amazing team of young professionals! One person who sticks out the most to me as someone I would like to stay in contact with in the future is Christina Roseto. Christina is not only an amazing friend, but pretty much amazing at anything she puts her mind too. This includes academics, and most importantly, broadcast communications. I have journeyed through my years in the department with Christina by my side. We have taken several classes together, but it wasn't until Senior Capstone that I really grew to appreciate Christina's talents. Since last semester, we both have experienced the highs and lows of the capstone experience. Christina has helped me in several occasions get my act together and deliver what I need to by giving me tips and suggestions. Her project for capstone is filming the Westminster Titans and putting together clips of practice, games, etc. to compile a recruitment video that can be shown to high school football players. I think this is a great project and I have been supporting her the entire time with hopefully some good suggestions to help her as well. In 10 years I see Christina doing something great in sports broadcasting. Her internship this summer at KDKA working in the sports department seemed to benefit her tremendously. I know that in the future she will be even more professional and produce even higher quality work than she already does now because she has amazing potential to grow in this profession. I can see Christina wanting to stay around the Pittsburgh metropolitan area for her job but she could definitely land a job in any larger market that she wanted! Christina has a love for not only Pittsburgh but the work that she does in broadcasting and I know this will carry her far!

The Next Big Star in Broadcasting!

This week I would like to take some time to recognize someone from the underclassman crowd of the broadcast communications department. This person is someone who has stepped out and shined in their roles in the major. The person that I believe has a magnitude of potential is sophomore Kayla Zoller. I had the pleasure of working with Kayla all fall semester of last year on the college’s remote truck crew, Titan Crew. Kayla was just a freshman last year but that made no difference, she stepped up and took on a lot of responsibility for someone just starting out in the major. Kayla helped us a lot during Titan Crew last year but it is what she’s doing this year that is even more impressive. Kayla has taken over the role of Jill Carle from last year, the graphics director. When working with graphics in the remote truck, it is vital to have all of the graphics you need for the game including player names, team logos and scores. Graphics is a very demanding job because you must be on your toes at all times and know what is going on in the game at all times. I was very impressed that Kayla decided to stay on Titan Crew even when it was not required of her to be and work as hard as she has. When I think of the rest of the sophomore class, I really cannot think of anyone else who has really taken the initiative to get involved so I’m very happy Kayla has!
If I were to offer some advice to this up and coming broadcasting star, it would be dedication. I know from firsthand how hard it is to balance all the different aspects of college and be successful. One attribute you definitely need in this broadcasting department to be successful is dedication. You must get your foot in the door and make sure it stays there. Kayla has already proven she wants to be active in the department so she’s got her foot in the door so to say. But with two years left in her college career, I see even more potential and great things coming from Kayla. I hope she decides to stay with Titan Crew as the graphics director but also get involved in all the broadcasting aspects such as radio and studio TV. Kayla definitely has the potential to be the next big thing in broadcasting, not only at Westminster, but also in the future in the work place!

A great Alumni connection

Many people have helped me stay encouraged and persistent during my academic career here at Westminster including professors, coaches and faculty members. This week however; I would like to focus on a fellow classmate that has helped me in the field of broadcasting. Pat Sandora has been a great person to look up to all 4 years of my college years even though he graduated a year before me. I knew of his name even before I transferred to Westminster College my freshman year. Jumping into the broadcasting department was quite intimidating at first and I was a bit scared. I didn’t know many other students in my classes because I had just transferred and the seniors seemed to run everything in the radio/television stations. I originally met Pat in the spring during Greek Week because he was in fraternity and came back to visit the fraternity house. From the first time I met him Pat was very interesting, enthusiastic and captured my attention. I learned that Pat was a broadcast major while here at Westminster and that he was very involved in his time as a student. I eventually established a friendly relationship with Pat and we communicated quite often via email and instant messenger. I first expressed to Pat that I wanted to get more involved in the broadcasting department at Westminster and asked him for advice on how to get my foot through the door as a freshman. He suggested that I start taking practicums, especially radio news since I just had BC writing and knew the radio news format. I decided to take the news practicum the fall of my sophomore year and really enjoyed it! I met a lot of my fellow students that worked in the radio station and learned the ins and outs of radio news. The first television project I was involved in was a unique segment called “On the road” where a group of students travel to interesting places in the county and reported about their experiences. I was so eager to get into the television aspect of broadcasting that I signed up for the show as a reporter just for the experience. I learned from Pat that he also helped with the On the Road segment while at Westminster and he gave me even more advice on the segment. Eventually as my college years continued I went on to get more and more involved. I needed less guidance as I built up more confidence and relationships with my professors and classmates in the major but I will always remember being a young, scared freshman. I think it is important not only as freshmen to obtain guidance from a role model but also to keep professional contact with people as you progress. It is vital to have people in your social network who understand your goals and whom you can also lend a helping hand as well!

Identity Crisis!

This week for capstone we had to finally complete our project binders and it felt so good to have everything set up and ready to go. I’m very excited to present my senior project capstone! My presentation is focused on my project “Identity Crisis” and will be in Mueller theatre in the McKelvey Campus Center December 2nd at 6 pm. The title of my project may catch your attention but it’s probably not quite what you’re thinking! The identity crisis my project is focused on is that of WCN’s image. I have zoned most of my focus on our weekly newsmagazine show The County Line. At my presentation I intend to show all of the work I have put into this project . For my project I have implemented many promotions strategies to help advertise WCN/TCL, ultimately increasing viewership. I have created weekly Titan Radio teaser promos, web promos for WCN’s cable switch, advertised on campus via emails and flyers and teased the show on the coache’s corner. I will present briefly (about 10 mins) about my project and show examples of my promotions work over the past semester. I plan to invite all of my closest friends on campus who have inspired me to be the well-rounded person I am today, my coaches and professors who have pushed me to achieve the best I can while at college and of course my family who have always been in my life to support me. Overall I feel that this presentation will be more than just a showcase of my senior project, but a glimpse into my life and how I have transitioned into adulthood at this wonderful institution. Please come support on December 2nd, I’m very excited!