Media School Ambassadors, Ernie Pyle Scholars visit Chicago media outlets
Ambassadors, scholars experience media scene in the Windy City
By Holly Hays
Some go to Chicago for the food. Ambassadors go to Chicago for the media.
This year marks my third and final trip to Chicago with The Media School and my second as a Media School Ambassador. Why three trips? Because it’s impossible to get tired of something you enjoy so much.
Each year, The Media School takes the freshman class of Ernie Pyle Scholars — journalism honors students — and a group of Media School Ambassadors to Chicago for two days in January to network with alumni and visit various media outlets.
The first night of the trip includes an alumni reception, which allows alumni and students to ask each other questions. Alumni ask about new developments within The Media School, while students ask about the job market.
It’s not uncommon for students to leave these receptions with several business cards tucked into their pockets from alumni who are offering to help out or just want to stay in touch. This year, I chatted with a former Arbutus yearbook editor, who offered me words of wisdom as the deadline for the book rapidly approaches. I really do believe we have the most supportive alumni in the country.
The media visits typically include print journalism, advertising and public relations and broadcast outlets. This year, students visited the Associated Press, ABC7/WLS-TV, Weber Shandwick, Comcast SportsNet, Chicago Tribune, Chicago magazine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Rivet Radio.
As an Ernie Pyle Scholar, I stared wide-eyed at the inscriptions on the walls in the lobby of Tribune Tower. I chatted with reporters in the newsroom at the Chicago Sun-Times. As a Media School Ambassador, I’ve visited the Associated Press, revisited the Tribune and Chicago magazine.
It’s always reassuring not only to see that yes, it is possible to succeed in my chosen field, as evidenced by some of the alumni we meet at the reception, but that media — in my case, print media — is still a thriving industry, especially at a time in which everyone seems to be questioning it.
So, I keep going back to Chicago for the journalism.
(And for the food.)
See individual reports by students who visited the six media sites below.
- ABC7 staff shows students the world of broadcast
- Weber Shandwick inspires ambassadors to explore agency life
- Assistant editors of Chicago magazine meet with ambassadors, scholars
- Chicago orchestra discusses experience, enjoyment at work
- Rivet teaches students to take part in radio revolution
- At CSN, digital communication redefines sports media