Sabrina Santucci by Lauren Petrow

Interviewed: Sabrina Santucci

While in class, sitting there watching journalists come and talk about their jobs, seems all good and dandy. It seems like a lot of work, but when it comes to interviewing people they make it seem easy as pie. Getting an interview yourself, now comes the hard work. I can understand the life of a journalist a little better. I interviews Sabrina Santucci. She is a senior at The University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana. I picked Sabrina (not my first pick) which was a great choice, because I thought it would be a good idea to see how it is for someone graduating who has had a lot of experience to get some questions from. At U of I, how they teach there broadcast majors is just with software broadcast. Meaning, they do a lot of it themselves, and projects where they can see how the real broadcast world is like. Sabrina has had internships everywhere in the broadcast field. Her main focus right now is Television Broadcast. She has worked at every aspect of the business. She has had interships at FOX Chicago news in Special Reports and Investigations, KISS FM doing programming for the afternoon and night drive and worked at the promotional events, and she now has an internship all the way in New York for Lucky Magazine (online intern) which is published by Conde Nast. I had to call Sabrina and get all of my information from her, and more questions went through an e-mail. Some questions were:

1. Name all the things that you have done to get to this point in your life?

I have worked very hard to maintain good grades in all of my classes. I have also been involved in many different activities on campus, that are not only journalism and broadcast related. In addition, I have never limited myself to one aspect of the broadcast world. I have tried to get experience in everything from PR, to radio production as long as it interested me!

2. What does your average day look like?

My average day is crazy! I usually have classes, work at one of my two jobs or I am hanging out with friends! I live with ten girls that I am good friends with through my sorority, I work for the graduate college at the U of I doing their PR and on the weekends I waitress. A lot of my day is spent interviewing, editing my stories, writing and filming! We have to take current events quizzes at least once a week so I'm constantly watching the news, reading newspapers and magazines... (fashion shhh haha).

3. Have you ever doubted yourself, or doubted this career choice for you?

Yes, journalism is a very tough field to get into and the classes are not easy! During my time at FOX Chicago news in Special Reports and Investigations I often questioned whether or not I still wanted to enter the field. I had to do a lot of research including calling attorneys and politicians to get the story and all of the facts correct, as well as pouring over legal documents! I worked under a reporter who did not tolerate excuses. I learned a lot about the news business and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to do so!

4. If you wanted to change one thing about your path in where you are going, what would it be and why?

This is a hard question! There are a lot of different things that you think about since journalism is so competitive, but at the end of the day--no I wouldn't change a thing!

Saved the best question for last! Anyway, interviewing Sabrina was a real eye opener. It made me want to go further and get to my dreams. She really inspired me because she was just an ordinary college girl like me, in a sorority and all concerned about grades, and now she has an internship to where she wants to get in life!