VOICES Publishing from the AAJA National Convention
Name: Frances Wang
VOICES year and role: 2013 student, New York
Current position: Reporter, KREM 2 News/KREM-TV
How did AAJA VOICES shape your path?
All throughout college, I wanted to work solely in entertainment. VOICES helped shaped my path because it opened my eyes…[A]fter VOICES, I started re-evaluating my options. I thought about going to graduate school or maybe even starting in local news, something that I hadn’t considered until that summer in New York City, when I met so many other journalists who did the same. Through the program, I met many local news journalists who were able to point me in the right direction once I decided that would be the best start to my career.
What can you do today that you wouldn’t be able to do without having been in VOICES?
Even though I knew I wanted to be in broadcast, VOICES showed me the importance of digital and print journalism as a compliment and supplement of broadcast. All students, whether their backgrounds were in broadcast, digital or print were encouraged to learn skills from all three categories and I think that’s what makes us stand out!
Any other thoughts on why people should support VOICES:
Not only did I come out of VOICES feeling more confident in the career path I wanted to take, I gained an entire new group of friends and an amazing support system. To this day, I still keep in touch with my VOICES roommate and all the students in my program via social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. It’s amazing watching each other grow while giving feedback and encouragement. Going through the work required from the VOICES program and even the stress and pressures of meeting deadlines, while still being part of the convention, helped us form a bond together and reminded us of why we are in this industry.
