How did you get involved in high school? Were you part of any clubs, honor societies or teams?
I was actually a member of DHS Press; I think I joined my sophomore year. I did that [and] I kind of realized maybe I wanted to have a career in sports journalism. I stayed in the class until I graduated from Dominion. I was a member of the softball team for all four years.
What year did you graduate from high school? What college did you attend?
- I went to the University of Buffalo up in Buffalo, New York.
How do you feel about this decision to play a sport in college?
It was kind of an easy decision for me. I grew up playing softball since I was super young, so I always knew I wanted to play at the next level. I just really liked what U.B. had to offer in terms of academics and athletics. I ended up only playing for two years because once COVID hit, I decided what I really want to do with my life. [With] getting internships in school and stuff, it was really hard to balance that with being a D1 athlete. Ultimately, [I] decided to hang up my cleats after my sophomore year which is when COVID hit. Then, [I] decided to pursue more internships so that I could end up being a sports reporter.
How did it feel stopping playing the sport that you’d been playing for a while?
It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Honestly because that’s the whole reason I was in Buffalo, to play softball and like all my friends were on the softball team. I didn’t know anyone else at the school. So, I didn’t have any other friends besides the girls that I was there on the team with, but they were all super supportive. It was a really tough decision, but honestly, after that everything started going up. I got an internship at the station that I work at right now and I was able to just have more free time too, which was really nice.
At the University of Buffalo, how did you get involved? Did you join a student newspaper there or do any reporting?
Yep, so I wrote for the student newspaper for one semester and then I played softball in the spring so it was too hard [to do] both. I reached out about doing on camera stuff. They didn’t really have a lot of on camera stuff at school, so I kind of paved the way for that. But yeah, one semester I wrote for the school newspaper and then [I would] just try to do little things with athletics on camera.
What did you decide to major in? Did you have any shifts in it?
I major[ed] in communications with a minor in journalism and multimedia. I always knew U.B. didn’t have a journalism major, so I had to get creative. A major in communications was nice because if I ever decided to leave the industry, that is sports broadcasting, I could get a job with a communications degree.
What year did you graduate and with what degree?
I graduated a semester early, so I graduated in December of 2022. On my certificate, [I had] a communications degree with a minor in journalism and multimedia.
Tell me more about how you got an internship at Channel 4 during your junior year.
I got an internship at Channel 4, which is where I am stationed right now. But really what got me the internship was, I went around to a bunch of club teams at U.B. and I was like, ‘hey, I want to be a sports reporter one day. I need to get practice in front of the camera, would you care if I reported on your team?’. So I kind of started doing that and then I put together some of my best work, then I sent that to Channel 4.
After graduating, how did you go about finding a job?
So the internship was just for that spring semester, I ended up getting a call when I was back home in Virginia [after] I graduated from college. I got a call from one of the sports reporters at Channel 4 and they were like, ‘hey, we have an opening. Would you be interested in applying?’. I was like 100%. I think it works out perfectly that I ended up graduating early, because if I didn’t graduate early, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get the job. But because I graduated early, which only happened because I quit softball, I was able to stack up my credits and start working there. They had an opening in the middle of football season, and they really needed it filled, so I started working there in January of 2023.
What was it like, deciding to stay in Buffalo and especially like that far away?
It wasn’t super hard because I actually really love Buffalo. Being from Northern Virginia, it’s so busy there, and here it’s a little bit more of a Canadian, Midwestern feel. So I like that and Buffalo is such a beautiful place to live. My boyfriend lives here and I had a bunch of friends, so that part wasn’t super hard, especially because I still had an apartment here by the time I got offered the job. I was just home for like a little bit, it wasn’t like I completely moved home and [then] had to move back.
What’s it like sportscasting and doing coverage at such a higher level?
It’s so fun. I mean this has always been my dream. Buffalo is a perfect city because they are so passionate about their sports teams. It’s really rewarding being able to see the progress [going] from covering high school sports to college sports and then to professional sports. It’s been a dream come true.
What does your day to day look like?
Every day kind of changes. I actually get my schedule a week before. I literally don’t know what I’m doing next week, that’s just kind of the nature of the business. On a game day, I’m the in-studio host so I get into work right before the game starts and I basically work until midnight. On a Sabres game day, I go to morning skate in the morning and then back to my house and chill, then go back to the game later. After the game, you put together all your stuff for the news hits and TV hits and live [show]. Some days are really busy, some days are a little bit more relaxed; it really just depends on the schedule for sports that week.
What do your plans look like continuing on? Do you hope to still cover hockey teams?
I’m actually leaving Channel 4. [For my contract] I’ve passed two years and as of right now, I’ve made the decision to take a couple months off, job hunt, and wait for some sports teams to put out some applications and jobs. My dream is to obviously stay in local news and or even like to work for a team one day. My ultimate dream would be to work for the NHL Network. Hockey is my favorite sport so being in the NHL is a dream for me. I’m kind of taking these next few months off to go back home to Virginia, be with family and friends and then start the job hunt and figure out what my next move is gonna be.
Would your ideal next job be in the Virginia DC area or back to New York?
I have an agent and he kind of knows that like DC’s always been a dream for me, because obviously my family’s from there. DC is very politics heavy because we’re the nation’s capital. So sometimes it can be a little harder to get a job in sports there, but it’s really just about what comes up. It’s always been a dream of mine to return home, report on the teams that I grew up watching. I’m also not super picky; I love the job itself. If I could get a job anywhere really, I would be very grateful.
What is one thing you would tell to your high school self or a piece of advice you would give to a current student?
My biggest thing is, put yourself out there. Mr. Schwartz would probably be able to 100% agree with this. In high school, I was so shy; I did not talk to anyone. I was so afraid to interview students. I was so embarrassed but I knew I wanted to do the career and it’s funny because now I’m interviewing literally professional athletes. If you would have told me that one day I [was] going to be interviewing NHL players I would have been like, what? I would say to students put yourself out there, the first few times on camera, I think a lot of students get scared when they see themselves reporting. You’re gonna be awful your first few times, even the stories that you write if you’re more [into] print journalism. It’s going to get better and it’s going to get less awkward as you experience it and the more that you do it. Don’t be afraid to look awkward because I definitely have had my fair share of that, but it’s gotten me to where I am now.
