Why Annenberg and USC was the Right Choice for Journalism Major and Ambassador Lyme
Writing was always a passionate pastime for me. I grew up with my eyes glued to a book and my hands blotched with blue ink. I enjoyed immersing myself in fantasy novels embellished with the lives of elaborate characters and their carefree worlds.
Then one evening, as I watched the BBC logo unfold on the television screen, and an anchor yelled her report amidst a blizzard, I realized how critically the news reflected reality, and I wanted to be a part of that voice. I wanted to be a part of the professional news environment of desk anchors, live reporters, weather forecasters, all coming together to present information powerful enough to affect the lives of the audience.
Print journalism was my anthem in high school. I joined Yearbook, magazine, MUN press, the journalism honor society, and I grasped every opportunity to write because I loved writing. Casting broadcast aside for a moment, I focused on my initial passion for solely writing.
When it came to applying to colleges, Annenberg provided the perfect opportunity to practice journalism and the potential possibility to explore and develop my skills as a media professional.
Working at the media center as a multimedia journalist during my freshman year completely opened my eyes to broadcast journalism. I felt a rush of excitement when I scheduled and conducted interviews, edited footage, wrote scripts, and played my part in the widely functioning news organization that is Annenberg TV News. Amazingly, this was all part of a remote experience while I took classes from Seoul, South Korea. I was up at 4 AM staring into a zoom room and a colorfully coded rundown with many technical limitations. I was calling internationally for interviews at universities, institutes, DTLA stores that I’d personally never even visited, but it was worth it. It was a fulfilling experience that definitely drew me more to working at the media center in person.
On-campus classes are a great privilege for journalism students because they mean full access to the media center.
Application over theory is a huge differentiating aspect of journalism at Annenberg. Classes focus on training and preparing students for a career in media.
Journalism has changed me as a person. The newsroom's rapidly changing headlines and timely pace pulled me out of my comfort zone, where I was introverted and nervous about speaking to strangers. It forced me to hide my anxiety to approach someone on the street for an interview, dial a random number, and walk into a shop for a feature article. The anxiety was gone before I knew it even existed.
Frankly, I was distraught to leave fiction when I entered journalism. I’d put the creativity aside as a “pastime I would never fully enjoy again,” focusing my mind on news, news and news. I grew fixated on writing formally in set frames and a cold tone because I thought that was journalism.
I thought I broke away from storytelling, but truthfully, I’ve never stopped storytelling. Journalism is also about humanizing a story and writing out a conversation in an easy, friendly way for the audience to laugh, cry, or just empathize with a short nod.
During my JOUR 307: Writing and Reporting class, it struck me. I finally understood that the “pen is mightier than the sword.” As a journalist, I truly have the ability and power to write about people and let their success or misfortune, their stories, be known to others. In that sense, I’m a professional storyteller building a bridge between a person and an audience.
Long story short, I felt lost. But it was a part of shaping and personalizing my experience with media. Annenberg is shaping me as a true media representative, and I grow every day. It is the home ground of various opportunities for experience.
