I am hoping that my future in journalism has a better future than most people seem to think. People hear the word journalism and kind of laugh or smile. There is a negative perspective of most members of the media in society. I am hoping in the next few years that can change, although I don’t see it happening.

Journalism is obviously becoming more technology based, especially now that my generation is starting to graduate college. We are kids raised in the technology age, we’ve all had computers in our life since a young age. Computers are going to continue to play a large role in journalism and possibly even more so now that the understanding has increased.

Journalism will always continue to grow and evolve as I continue my career and I will have to do my best to keep up with the changing tide.

I have spent a lot of time over the past five years covering the athletics at UWRF. I have been the voice of Falcon basketball for five season and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. I came to UWRF as a history major who realized quickly that I couldn’t bare not having sports as a big part of life. I took the job broadcasting the Falcon womens basketball games and fell in love. Being on the radio was the highlight to each and every week. It was then that I decided I needed to become a journalism major. It was by far one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I have been able to go so many places, do so many things, and meet so many people that would not have been possible if I had not become a journalism major. I even got a free trip to Florida to cover the womens softball team for a week.

I have been to nearly all of the athletic facilities around the metro and the WIAC. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity at UWRF that many colleges can’t offer. I change to be the only person who covers the University’s athletic teams on the radio.

The story I had the most fun covering this year is easy, when O’Grady stepped down as the head football coach at UWRF. I was interviewing O’Grady in our weekly meeting for the pregame radio interview, when he sprung his retirement on me. He had just announced a few hours earlier to the athletic staff in a meeting. I was the first person outside the athletic department and his family to know of the decision. I knew immediately that I needed to write a story to go on that nights newscast.

So once our regular pregame interview concluded I asked him some more questions, about why he decided to step down and what his plans were after retirement. O’Grady said that he was sick of the paper work that has been added to the job in the 22 years since he took over.

Not only was this a story that was very time sensitive to the University, but it was news of one of the most high profile openings at UWRF. I was very fortunate to break this story before the UWRF athletic website, which I was kind of proud of.