Posted March 19, 2014 by
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Internship The Liberal Arts My Wheaton
Lights, Camera, Action: My Experience as a FOX News Chicago Intern
When I enrolled in Wheaton for my freshman year, I did not imagine I would be on the FOX 32 Chicago News set my senior year. I chose to pursue an Applied Health Science major because of my passion for health and science, and because of a mission trip I took to Haiti during my sophomore year that helped me better understand the global health crisis. I decided to take Wheaton’s intro to journalism class during my senior year to help me develop a platform to raise awareness for health issues around the world, and my professors encouraged me to apply for internships at broadcast news stations around Chicago. This semester I was given the opportunity to join FOX 32 Chicago News.
Initially I thought it would be difficult to arrive at work at the crack of dawn, but the energy at FOX during Good Morning Chicago makes it impossible to be tired. Reporters and anchors hustle and bustle about the station with their scripts in one hand and coffee cup in another, while editors and producers crank out final details of their work. On busy mornings, especially those during which controversial topics are aired, the phone rings off the hook while viewers call to voice their feedback. Every time I’ve been in the station, I feel like a sponge absorbing information. It’s all new and exciting! I’ve been immersed into a new culture and have been given the opportunity to learn a whole new language…because let me tell you, the TV industry speaks a language all their own!
My biggest challenge as an intern is deciding which opportunities to seize. Many times my supervisor assigns me a task, whether it’s helping the investigative producer find guests for the morning show, observing an editorial meeting, or going on assignment with a reporter and camera crew. Other days, it’s up to me to decide! I have spent a couple hours watching the editors work, learning to master the language of the run-downs for the morning show, and digging up old scripts from news anchors to rehearse on my own. I’ve made an effort to seek out individuals from each and every position at the station, from a cameraman to an anchor, and pick their minds about everything they do!
Learning is not limited to the nuts and bolts of the news industry—I’m thankful for the way Wheaton’s liberal arts curriculum has prepared me for a variety of assignments on the job. My internship also forces me to be up to date on current events, and I’m also given opportunities to be a part of the news. My faith has given me courage to pursue the adventure God has laid out for me in downtown Chicago, and while my dream is to become a health and science broadcast reporter, I’m open and beyond excited to whatever God has in store for me in the weeks leading up to graduation!
This is Alyssa Paulsen, your local news intern with FOX 32 Chicago.
Alyssa Paulsen '14 is pursuing an Applied Health Science major with involvement in Wheaton’s journalism certificate program. She plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism focusing on health and science.