I’ve been interested in journalism since high school. This photo dates back to 2009 when I was the editor-in-chief of my school newspaper. Here I am (right) interviewing a teacher.

Every once in awhile, people will ask me why I’m a journalism major. Well, that’s an easy answer. It’s because I enjoy writing, meeting and interviewing various people, and telling stories. Then they’ll follow up with, “But why are you a journalism major at Drury?“ 

So why did I choose Drury to study journalism when I could have gone to a top j-school, like Mizzou? The answer actually isn’t so complicated.

First, I knew that I didn’t want to study at a school with a large student population. It seemed intimidating, and I was afraid the experience wouldn’t be as valuable. I’ll give you an example of what I mean.

In high school, I once got the sense that a larger university wouldn’t care about me as a student after I had toured a particular school. During this tour, I was supposed to meet with the journalism program director. However, when I got there I discovered that the meeting had been cancelled. I felt like I had been blown off, to be honest, so I moved on to my other options. I unexpectedly met with Drury’s communication department instead. The department chair sat down with me one-on-one and showed me around Shewmaker. I definitely felt more comfortable.

Not only am I learning to write, but I’m also learning how to put together a story for broadcast.

  Second, Drury’s multimedia production & journalism major interested me because you get to learn a variety of skills; it’s not all concentrated on print or broadcast. I knew that if I wanted to become a journalist after college, not only do I need to be able to write for different mediums (print, online, TV) but I should know how shoot video, take good photos, publish online, and become my own personal copy editor. Employers look for reporters who can do it all.

  Third, Drury’s program also won me over because I quickly learned that it was easy to start gaining hands-on experience. Within my first year, I published a few articles in the Mirror and on Drury’s website. So far (just on campus alone), I’ve worked as a news editor for the newspaper, a writer for the Drury website, contributed to the Drury magazine, became a student blogger, and filmed convocations.

It’s difficult to narrow my reasons down to three. Of course, there are many other reasons I’m here to study journalism (have you seen our new TV studio?), but those would be my main reasons.

If you ever have a question about my major, ask away. I’ve talked to a few prospective students about it before. Or, you can contact Dr. Jonathan Groves (my advisor) or Brian Shipman.