Journalism Alumni Advise Aspiring Journalists

Four University of Texas School of Journalism graduates conversed with current students on Thursday, January 17. The alumni- Jazmine Ulloa, David Muto, Jackie Vega, and Suzanne Haberman- shared insight on their college experience, career moves, and opportunity-building.

Jackie Vega, a 2008 graduate and digital reporter and content producer at KXAN- Austin, formerly interned at the television station before working there full-time. She explained to the students the significance of acquiring the right internship.

“You want to do an internship somewhere so you can get a real life, hands-on, in-the-market industry experience,” Vega said. “If you’ve got an internship, if you’ve got the tenacity...the energy…the motivation, the drive and the determination to get your foot in the door…then you can get a job.”

Vega also advised the interaction with others working in the journalism field.

“At least have a conversation with somebody who can pull strings or somebody who is making the decisions,” she said.

Less drawn to reporting, Muto worked at The Daily Texan at the copy desk for two years and interned at The Texas Tribune prior to graduating in May 2010. He attributes his internship and eventual hire as the Tribune’s copy editor and editorial assistant to networking.

“One of the reasons I actually got the Tribune internship was because I knew people who were interning [there] after it launched and they just referred my name to the editor,

Evan Smith, and he got in contact with me,” Muto said. “I probably would not have sought that out had that not happened, so yeah, I think internships are great.”

  Muto indicated the uncertainty of post-internship job availability to the students, but noted ideal qualities in case such a transition should occur.

“I think some things to keep in mind are that you want to be assertive, you want to stand out definitely, but I also think that if you want to make yourself indispensable, you need to do so quietly,” Muto said.

Following her internship at the Austin-American Statesman, Jazmine Ulloa remained in close contact with those who worked there, and now works as their courts reporter. Ulloa stressed the value of colleague interaction to the student audience.

“Don’t burn bridges because it can come back later,” Ulloa said. “There wasn’t a job  when I graduated [in 2009], but I came back to it and it was because I made friends with editors there…they were the ones letting me know that jobs were out there before they were even posted.”

Texas Co-Op Power magazine writer and 2008 graduate Suzanne Haberman worked as a freelance writer during her college years.

“I worked all through college so I didn’t have time for a regular internship…so I sought out freelance-writing opportunities at different publications around Austin [including Orange] and wrote articles as often as I could,” Haberman said. “So those developed more skills than networking, I think, but those became just as reliable as knowing someone.”

Haberman recommended that students considering freelance-writing aim for depth in stories fit for respective publications.

“The first thing to do really is to delve in and try to understand the magazine or newspaper or whatever venue it is, that way you’re suggesting a story that is along the lines of what they would of actually published. And go from there,” she said.

Along with work experience, the panel discussed intuition about staying in journalism to the audience.

“It’s normal to feel like you can’t do it, and it’s normal to think that you’re questioning, or thinking about this career twice,” Vega said. “Don’t let that be the determination but also, do pay attention to that feeling.”

Kayla McDaniel, a recent UT School of Journalism graduate, decided to take her journalism degree and go into law school, and is currently working in the Office of the Governor.

“Though I started out set on being a broadcast reporter, I found myself more and more attracted to the legal field,” McDaniel said. “When I’d cover something at the Capitol, I was so interested in telling stories about policy makers and legal processes…I [then] decided I wanted to be on the other side-creating the policies and fighting for my cause.”

Journalism senior Ashley Meleen agrees with Vega on continuing journalistic engagement.

“If you feel like something isn’t right for you, you shouldn’t feel like you have to continue,” Meleen said. “If you’re not passionate about something, the difficult times are going to be even more difficult and you’re not going to enjoy it.”

Meleen admits altering some aspects to her journalistic plans, focusing on multimedia instead of news reporting in college, and doesn’t regret those decisions.

“It’s allowed me to try different things and find aspects that I really enjoy,” she said, “and I think finding something you love is the ultimate goal.”

Call Me Carilloneur: A Profile of Austin Ferguson

A profile of Austin Ferguson, Student Director of the Guild of Student Carilloneurs. Video by Olivia Suarez and Rebecca Salazar.

Interview with the International

Interview with the International- Audio Podcast

https://soundcloud.com/oliviamsuarez/interview-with-the

(Click on the link above)

(NARRATION:) Texas Student Television just got a little more Aussie. Joseph Wang, an international student from Australia, is one of the TV station's newest volunteers. The computer science junior spends his time participating in VGHL, or Videogame Hour Live. I met up with Joseph at the Student Activity Center and got insight of his time at UT.

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "Where in Australia are you from?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "I'm from Sydney, Australia, so one of the big capital cities in Australia." 

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "Nice. So as far as the Sydney Opera House, do you see that all the time where you live?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "Well my university's pretty close to the heart of the city, so occasionally we take a bus downtown and yeah, go check out the Circular Quay, the Opera House, and Frog Hollow Bridge." 

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "And do you do stuff like 'find Nemo'?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) (laughs) "I've tried, I've tried looking hard, but no such luck."

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "And what inspired you to become an international student? What program are you on?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "I'm part of the University of Sydney Study Abroad Program, that basically involves me coming here for a semester to study subjects related to my major. So, my major is computer science. I chose UT because America is a really, really interesting country for me because as a computer science major, all of the technology jobs and such are centered in America, especially like San Francisco and even Austin, there's a really big start-up scene here, where a bunch of new companies are rising up. Austin also really has a great social scene: there's a lot of music festivals and things going on. So I went to Austin City Limits a few weeks ago, which is really amazing, and like, all the bands just seem to come through this city. It always feels like there's something to do here. There's never a dull moment in Austin."

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "What is the common reaction you get when you talk to a stranger or friends for the first time?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "A lot of people don't actually pick up on the accent. You begin talking and some people will be like, 'Are you not from America?', and I'll be like 'Yeah, do you want to guess where I'm from?'. And then I'll talk a bit more and they'll be like 'Australia?', and I'll be like, 'Yep.'."  

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "You're a computer science major. Did that kind of influence you to join VGHL?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "Yeah, definitely. Like, as a computer science major, I'm always around computers. There's a gaming culture within computer science; I say like everyone likes to play videogames. I've been playing videogames since I was a young kid, from like, Nintendo 64 to today, like Xbox 360. And yeah, like VGHL just seemed like a really fantastic opportunity."

(NARRATION:) VGHL, which airs Tuesdays at 9 PM, is one of the few shows shot live. I went with Joseph to watch the show's Halloween episode. 

(NAT SOUND POP) " 9, 8, 7, 6-Get ready Tyler-, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...GO!" "Alright...we're doing an hour live (clapped hands)." "And ready?" "Play logo, play logo...we're going back to him." (laughter) "We're going live on Daniel...we're live on Daniel! We're live on Daniel. Tell him he's up." (laughter) Daniel: "(laughter) Sorry. Welcome to Videogame Hour Live, my name is Daniel Jenkins."

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "Do you just volunteer, or do you have like a position on the show?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "Um, yeah I just volunteering. I just wander around. I've done sound once, I've shadowed Tricaster, and I've been on camera once."

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "Do you plan on doing like, anymore segments...on camera?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "Um yeah. I'm hoping to do a review, so now I'm playing a game called Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which is a racing game. You're trying to drive away from the cops and you're bashing into all of the other cars. It's a lot of fun, and yeah, hopefully I'll get enough time to finish the game so I can review for VGHL."

(NARRATION:) During his time at the broadcast, Joseph worked on his upcoming review for on Need for Speed by playing the game on his laptop.

(NAT SOUND POP) "Click it, click it easy, bro." (clicking of videogame buttons) "Push it good...yeah!" "Oh what are you playing...what are you playing?" "Need for Speed: Most Wanted." "Ah you're playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted on your COMPUTER?! That's rad." "Yeah...high resolution textures, you know?" "Push it, push it real good." (laughter)

(NARRATION:) After observing for awhile, Joseph handed the controller to me, and my skills were put to the test.

(NAT SOUND POP) "And you go 'Start Race'." (videogame music) "So far so good...I mean I've hit stuff but it's..." (laughter) "Down, so..." (clicking of videogame buttons) "Do I just go like that (yeah)...oh!" "Ah, nice!" "Yay!" "Lambda girl!" (videogame music) "Oh God...what am I doing?" (laughter, followed by a gasp) "Oh no!" (laughter)

(NARRATION:) Needless to say, I realized I should stick to reporting instead. 

(NARRATION:) As his semester abroad draws to a close, Joseph reflected on his UT experience. 

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "What are you going to take from this whole experience here?"

(JOSEPH WANG:) "Definitely a lot of memories. It's sort of changed my perspective on life a little bit, because this is also the first time that I've lived out of home for an extended period of time. Ha, trying to fend for myself, cooking and cleaning and doing grocery shopping and all that sort of stuff." 

(OLIVIA SUAREZ:) "And you're on the other side of the world too!"

(JOSEPH WANG:) (laughs) "Yeah, that as well!"

(NARRATION:) This is Olivia Suarez reporting. 

Tree Nursery Aims to Aid Bastrop

The Green Fee greenhouse (above), located in the Lady Bird
Johnson Wildflower Center, contains many plants and seeds
intended to replenish the land destroyed in the Bastrop fires.

Last year’s Bastrop County Fire demolished over 30,000 acres of land and approximately 1,700 homes, but it did not extinguish one person’s determination to restore its plant life.  

 Vlad Codrea, a UT molecular biology graduate student, spends every Saturday at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, continuing a project he developed out of one simple idea nearly 19 months ago.

Vlad Codrea (above) , the UT graduate student behind the
student-run  nursery and Bastrop project, checks the
status of  the planted seeds.

“It was my idea back in March of 2011 to have a tree nursery at UT, and with the help of the Gardening Committee at the Campus Environmental Center, I got in contact with the land managers at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus,” Codrea said. “They were very open to the idea of having the tree nursery there and we actually went around and selected the site to set it up.”

Codrea applied for financial support of his proposal following the approval of the nursery’s site.

“I submitted the application [for the Green Fee Grant] during the first cycle of applications and in April I found out it was accepted,” he said.  “We had $54,000 over three years to start a tree nursery, and with that money I ordered the greenhouse and the containers, the soil, the seeds, and so on.”

The Bastrop wildfires of September prompted the nursery to move to the Wildflower Center, and a partnership between Codrea and the center formed shortly after. Together they plan to allocate around 100,000 seedlings for the people of Bastrop Country.

While several volunteers (above) planted seeds in the Green Fee greenhouse,
others dug up soil not too far away (not pictured). 

Morgan Faulkner (above), an environmental
science freshman, compacts the soil
within the containers before planting
 the seeds.

A year after receiving the grant, Codrea’s project continues. Last Saturday, October 6th, 16 volunteers assisted Codrea in planting seeds in containers and shoveling soil at the Green Fee greenhouse in the Wildflower Center.  

“I have a portfolio project in my UGS class where I have to do things like this, but I would [volunteer] anyways, because I do a lot of work with trees at home, and to work outdoors is really nice,” Morgan Faulkner, environmental science freshman, said.

Like Faulkner, many individuals also helped out for the love of the outdoors.

Hannah Schmid (above), chemical engineering
junior and OXE candidate, scoops up soil.

 “When I stayed in Indonesia, I was in an organization that [did activities like this], so I love to do this. That’s why I wanted to join this [project],” Afriannoor Miradinata, curriculum and instruction graduate student, said. “[Planting trees] is not only our civil right, but it benefits all of us.”

The chemical engineering fraternity Omega Chi Epsilon, or OXE, scheduled their monthly community service project at the Wildflower Center. 

Mark Tomosovic (left) and Kevin Smith (right), both
chemical engineering sophomores and OXE candidates,
disperse soil into each of the small containers.

“I had come earlier this year because I knew Vlad from the Campus Environmental Center, so I thought it would be fun to bring everyone,” Tania de Souza, chemical engineering junior and OXE social chair, said.


UT students weren’t the only people engaging at the Green Fee greenhouse on Saturday.

Simran Frontain (above), a high school
sophomore, carefully plants the seeds.

“I wanted to partake in more community service. Plus, my mom and I love plants,” Simran Frontain, sophomore at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, said.

With Saturday workdays scheduled for the next two years, as well as the efforts of new and returning volunteers, Codrea remains optimistic that the program for Bastrop County will endure.

“As far as I can see, this project is going to keep on going,” he said. “And when we run out of funding in two years, [the Wildflower Center and I] are going to hopefully continue what we’re currently doing.”

 Story and photos by Olivia Suarez

Bomb Threat Brings Business

The UT bomb threat earlier this month may have created a wave of displeased evacuees on campus, but for areas around the university, businesses boomed. 
Numerous dining places located on Rio Grande, Guadalupe, and San Antonio streets, as well as those on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, served as refuges during the emergency evacuation that urged thousands of students and faculty to leave campus.

Amanda Voeller, neuroscience freshman, represented one of the many individuals solely focused on staying dry that particular rainy Friday.

“It seemed like most people were going to The Drag, so my friend and I started walking in that direction. We didn’t go to Whataburger because we were hungry; we just wanted to go inside because it was raining,” Voeller said.

Although Voeller stayed temporarily, the packed environment appeared composed, as she recalls.

“Whataburger was relatively calm, especially considering the fact that bombs [were expected] to go off soon. About three quarters of the people were eating, and because of it, [my friend and I] couldn’t find a place to sit,” she said.

Since the UT Police Department sent the emergency text message around 10:00 a.m., many students and faculty headed towards nearby eateries for breakfast and lunch, not knowing the duration of their departure from campus. 
For Melissa Victory, human development and family science freshman, traveling with friends and finding places to eat proved stressful.

“The local businesses that are a little off The Drag and do not accept Bevo Bucks didn’t necessarily benefit. I had nothing but my id on me, as did many of my friends, and therefore our destinations for food were limited,” Victory said.

Melissa and her group didn’t return to campus on an empty stomach though.

“We ended up getting sandwiches from Schlotzsky’s Deli at the corner of Martin Luther King and North Lamar boulevards. They had a large sign on their window advertising Bevo Bucks. We were excited and enjoyed our meal,” she said.

That Schlotzsky’s Deli experienced a lot of business that day, more so than the employees expected.

“We were setting up to open the doors because we open up at 10 a.m. We had no idea what was going on,” Lili Campos, Schlotzsky’s Deli manager, said.

Campos remembers the overwhelming amounts of students rushing in and ordering off the menu.

“Everyone wanted to eat for some reason, and I didn’t know why. [The students] were talking among themselves as to what was going on. About 75 percent of the students purchased something, most notably, the Cinnabon cinnamon rolls,” Campos said.

While many dining establishments flourished with UT evacuees, among the most popular locations included the famous coffeehouse chain, Starbucks.

“It was a pretty slow morning compared to what it usually is,” Emily Schmerl, barista at Starbucks on 10^th Street and Congress Avenue, said.

The influx of students, Schmerl identified based on numerous laptops and backpacks, mended the morning’s stagnant sales by making their own purchases.

“Most of the people bought a drink. It all evened out actually, because I think our sales from the morning came to what they usually are,” Schmerl said.

The Starbucks at 24^th and San Antonio streets dealt with a large crowd as well. UT journalism professor Robert Quigley recollects his time there.

“I had just finished a meeting with a member of the tech community when I heard the alarm sound and noticed the text message alert from UT. From my table, I could see the stream of students coming off campus and heading toward the West Campus area,” Quigley said. “I evacuated in place. Since I was already at Starbucks, I figured I would just stay there.”

Quigley’s decision included ordering another coffee which according to him, seemed rational.

“By the time my order was ready, the line wrapped all around the building and there was no room to move. I estimated there were at least 200 to 250 students packed into the coffee shop,” he said.

The number of students at the Starbucks actually helped Quigley post more about the emergency situation on Twitter.

“I wanted to share the mood of the students who were evacuating and to give a clear take on the mood of the students. The students were very calm and were taking it in stride,” Quigley said. “My tweets reached the Associated Press, which called me for quotes and AP Radio, which recorded my observations.”

The employees working at Café Medici on Guadalupe Street expected their usual morning routine, until the siren went off that is.

“Honestly, it was like a typical busy morning-like coffee rush. We heard the siren and had no idea [what was going on],” Thomas King, Café Medici manager, said. “We had gotten word from students who gotten in showing us the text, leading to a line going out the door.”

King said when there was no way to look over everything; he called other employees for extra help.

“There were entire classes that came together and there were some professors who tried to conduct their classes before they realized that it wasn’t going to work out,” he said.

Although the amount of assistance increased significantly, the ratio of people to sales didn’t meet expectations.

“Our sales were high, but they weren’t that high. A lot of people were looking for places out of the rain,” King said. “I think people just wanted to drink something warm.”

With the evacuation spanning at least two hours, both evacuees and businesses benefited from each other; sales increased in most dining areas, while students and faculty discovered locations to ward off the rain and their hunger, and most importantly, ensuring their safety.