When Journalism and Theatre Collide

I am a very proud communications major (with a concentration in journalism) here at Fordham. I look forward to getting a job in the journalism field. In addition to my passion for news, I also have a passion for Broadway or anything theatre related at all. That’s why I was so quick to register for Fordham’s “Theatre Journalism” class this spring.

Theatre Journalism is by far my favorite class I have taken at Fordham so far. The class is at Lincoln Center and being a rose hill student, I do have to commute to class via ram van, but it is well worth it! The professor is Frank DiLella. He is the feature Theatre reporter for NY 1 in addition to hosting  the weekly television show On Stage Across America.  He is so knowledgeable because he is active in the communications field right now. He has structured the class in a very experiential way that helps us develop skills that we will be able to use in the future. Some of our assignments included writing TV news scripts and articles, creating publicity plans for Broadway shows, and writing Broadway reviews.   We have also had a ton of guest speakers including, Glenn Burger, co writer of Spiderman: Turn off the Dark and author of Song of Spiderman, and Paul Wontorek of Broadway.com.  But, I must admit my favorite class was when our professor took us to the NY1 studio and gave us a tour. We also had the privilege of talking to many people who also work at NY1 including, Roma Torre the midday anchor for the station

This is the Playbill for a show I saw for my theatre journalism class

What I love most about this class is that it has practical value. Instead of studying about the industry through textbooks, we are actually doing what we would be doing if we were Journalist. This hands on approach enables us to receive extremely valuable experience in an environment that fosters learning. I look forward to taking other communications courses in the future!

News Blues

From infectious diseases to terrorist groups and natural disasters, the deathly serious horrors plaguing our world are far from scarce. As college students facing the inevitable fate of shortly becoming “real people,” we can’t help but feel obligated to understand “real world problems.”

And we should! However, thinking about all of the problems around the world often complicates and overwhelms our already overwhelming student lives. For whatever reason students avoid the news, out of fear or disinterest, a lack of understanding now will only worsen the brutal transition of becoming a “real person.”

In media today, the reliance on tangible newspapers and magazines has drastically declined. This is great news for us claiming the status of “not a real person.” Why? Because the emergence of differing news outlets has developed based on two of our favorite hooks: free and convenient.  

I have found the key to keeping up with current events is to find a news outlet that appeals to your interests. If you’re someone who has a strong political affiliation but you don’t have time to watch FoxNews or MSNBC, trying downloading the respective source’s apps. Many online publications offer apps that provide online articles and notifications of major news happenings.

If you are like me, and the news sometimes gets you a little down in the dumps or simply becomes too complicated to follow, try signing up for daily or weekly newsletters. I receive a daily news update from the NY Times with a brief overview of New York, national and global news, as well as an often upbeat interest piece.

For those of you desperately struggling to become a “real person” to the point where you have to ask your friends things like, “Is Ebola a new music festival, I heard its coming to Dallas?”, or “Is ISIS the new international student in your French class?” there is even a news outlet for you. The Skimm or what I refer to as my “sorority girl news letter” breaks down daily current evens into a conversational and comical listing. 

The Skimm allows you to avoid dealing with the rhetoric of a professional journalist, by starting sections off with a commonly asked question you’d hear around the lunch table.

The news beyond the gates can make us want to sink further into the bubble of a college campus. But in reality, this will only leave us majorly shocked and unprepared for the future. As Fordham students, we are called to promote the cura personalis reminding us not only of our duties at students but as “real people” as well.

Fordham in the News!

Over the past few weeks, Fordham has managed to be in the news quite a few times! With a winning football team and a beautiful campus to enjoy in the fall, it's an exciting time to be a student at Fordham!

Just last week, Fordham's beautiful Rose Hill Campus was featured on Business Insider! The article is complete with a picture tour of the campus! Read more here!


Fordham's football team is currently 7-0 for the first time since 1930! The Rams were recently featured in an article on BuzzFeed! Check it out here!

The New York Giants' current president John Mara graduated from Fordham Law School in the 1970s. The Mara's have a deep history with Fordham, as Wellington Mara (father of John Mara and former Giants president) was a Fordham classmate of the infamous Vince Lombardi! Mara says he's rooting for the Rams in an article about the history of Fordham Football that you can check out here!

 The Rams were featured in an article by ESPN recalling the past success of the program and more about how the 2013 team is putting Fordham football back on the map! Check it out!

As a current Fordham student, there is no better time to say I'M PROUD TO BE A RAM!

Learning Outside the Classroom

What do you want to be when you grow up?

We’ve all been asked this question before, and along with all my fellow seniors, it’s what’s on my mind. What are my plans for my life after Fordham?

The education that Fordham has provided has prepared me to tackle challenges outside of my coursework and in the form of various internships.

Right now I’m interning with CNN’s newest show, Erin Burnett OutFront (shameless plug: tune in 7pm EST!). This past summer I began my experience at CNN’s New York bureau (conveniently located two blocks from our Lincoln Center campus) interning full-time before they extended an offer for me to continue through the Fall semester.

Aside from being co-workers with some world-renowned journalist (Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer to name a few), I have had the most real, hands-on experience of what it means to be in the industry. The unpredictable and very real nature of following the news is what keeps me going when balancing late shifts at the office, schoolwork and extra-curricular activities becomes difficult. My time during the day can be spent pursuing a contact, doing story research, sitting with editors or pulling videos. The work I do for the show is real, and it is hard, but I love it.

Lessons I learn from my professors in my Communications and Journalism classes can be directly applied to the work that I have to do for CNN. In any given week I can see my education in the classroom working in hand with my education outside of it. My writing started in the classrooms, and eventually made it to the front page of our school newspaper The Ram, thanks to the encouragement of a professor. I started writing regularly for The Ram, where I eventually became a Staff Writer, and now, I have an article on CNN.com and a package that aired four times on television.

Being in New York City puts all Fordham students at an advantage. We are in the epicenter of news, business, economics, art and so much more. The wide variety of internships that city has to offer covers even the most specific of interests.

My work at CNN will hopefully land me a job, but at the very least, I’ve gotten a few good memories out of it:

Field Access when CNN covered the Yankee's HOPE Week:

The first shoot I ever went on, an ostrich farm in New Jersey:

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon making a statement on Syria:

The CNN control room where I work now:

A New Name for CBA

Goodbye College of Business Administration, Hello Gabelli School of Business.

College of Business Administration: A New Name for CBA: "There was a whisper around campus about it today. I was told that the Wall Street Journal wrote up a piece about it. In retrospect, I suppo..."