Alum
Daniela Molina
Bilingual investigative producer at InvestigateTV
Daniela Molina, BAJ'19, MS'21, Bilingual investigative producer at InvestigateTV.
"I actually chose IU thanks to a media advisor I had back at community college. I was set on staying in Florida, that's where I’m from, but my advisor said, ‘Indiana University is a really good school. You should apply.’ So, I did. They had, and still have, a great media school. When I got in, I thought, ‘Well, let’s pack the bags. We’re going to Indiana.’ I hadn’t even visited. I just took the risk and moved across the country.
I did two years at community college before transferring here. Because of how my credits transferred, I ended up being a super senior; I was here for three years instead of two. I got my bachelor’s, and at first, I thought I’d go straight into the field, but then I decided to pursue my master’s as well.
The Media School gave me a strong foundation. I knew I wanted to do journalism, but I also wanted to broaden my skills. I was able to take PR classes, photography, and visual media, which is what I do now in my job. Plus, the campus is absolutely stunning.
There was a media law class I took where, at the time, I thought, ‘I’m never going to use this.’ And now, as an investigative reporter, I constantly think about legal risks — ‘Can I be sued for this? What are the state laws around recording?’ That class ended up being invaluable.
Outside of class, I was really involved. I was in SPJ, and I was president of ONA. I was also part of an organization called I Am Worthy, where we interviewed students about what made them feel worthy. It was during a time when a lot of people were figuring out who they were, and it was a special project to be part of. I also worked as a Media School reporter and had three jobs while going to school full-time, so I stayed very busy.
Before I even graduated with my master’s, I was offered a job, thanks to Kathleen Johnson at The Media School. She helped establish an investigative internship, and what I didn’t realize at the time was that they were keeping an eye on me. I thought, ‘I have no experience. They’re never going to hire me,’ but they saw something in me. Six months before graduating, I got a job with InvestigateTV.
One of my favorite experiences at IU was teaching. I was an associate instructor, and I remember being so nervous because I had no prior teaching experience. But getting feedback from students who told me I was a great professor meant so much. It was also a full-circle moment coming back to The Media School, seeing my former professors, and talking about journalism with them as colleagues."
Written By Emerson Elledge
Photos By Olivia Smith