Andrew Vailliencourt

Major: Journalism

Years at IU: 2013 – 2017

What I did at IU: I had a sports talk show at WIUX in all four years I was at IU, and I was involved with game broadcasts and website content. I covered a variety of different sports for the Indiana Daily Student newspaper for two years, and I covered IU basketball for Inside The Hall. I was also a resident assistant during my sophomore year.

What I do now: I am a sports reporter for Hometown Life and the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers, which are part of the USA TODAY Network. I cover roughly 40 different high schools and community sports in the metro Detroit area. I report daily on games and events happening in the area, and since I am currently the only member of the sports department, I essentially serve as the sports editor, which means I’m running all of our social media, managing the website, and deciding which games we want to cover each week.

What advice he has for sports media students: Intern at places that can give you good work experience. The more experience you have, the better. So, take the time to apply to all those internships in college, because they do pay off. You won’t hear back from most, but all it takes is one opportunity — and that can lead to the next one. I had five internships while at IU, one during each summer and I was fortunate enough to be able to take a semester off for another, and each helped me land the next job.