Columbia University - Graduate School of Journalism.  M.S. Broadcast Journalism

At ATVN, I worked as a multimedia journalist, studio floor mananger, reporter, weather anchor and news anchor. Each job taught me something different about the dynamics of a newsroom. But, I also learned that I have no future in metereology! (I'm hoping no one goes back and pulls those old tapes).

It's funny, I learned more by myself (in the field as a reporter) while at ATVN than I did in any classroom at USC. The coolest part about ATVN is that you get to work alongside real life reporters in market 2! I remember one day in particular at ATVN, I was neck and neck with this reporter from CBS. She ignored me for the majority of the day. (My inclination was to follow her, but she didn't seem to like that, so I went in a separate direction and knocked on this ex-con's front door)... ATVN camera/tripod in hand. When the guy answered the door, the CBS reporter and her photographer ran down the block to get the interview.

The competition only continues when you work as a reporter at a commercial television station. Reporters fight everyday, neck and neck, to scoop each other! The cool part is, you can start right at ATVN, don't be afraid to stand right next to the big dogs, scoop them, get interviews they're afraid to get! (Who cares if our parents are the only ones who watch ATVN, the experience is what you make it!)

I come into the morning meeting with story ideas that aren't from the newspaper (that's though, the Sacramento Bee is one of the best newspapers in the country, it's hard not to look through it for ideas!) But, once I get assigned my story for the day, I'm out the door, making calls to set up interviews. If that fails, I just head out, it's impossible to come up with a great story sitting at my desk in the newsroom. There are days where I don't get an assignment I love. I always take this as a challange. There's nothing I love more than coming back with such a great story, that the producers have to physically move my package in the rundown from the D block to the A block.

Once I have the interviews, the story starts to come together. But, I start writing the second I'm in the field, when I arrive at a crime scene, I may jot down a note, describing it, that could be my opening line. When I'm interviewing a politician who just said something I loved, that might be my closing soundbite. When I get new information, I'm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TOUT with it. I not only tweet the viewers, but I also tweet the producers at the station to let them know what I found.

Somedays, I have more time to put a story together than others. I put as much time into the story as I have (sadly, somedays that means 45 minutes). After my story airs, I take a huge deep breath, and usually kick myself for forgetting to eat breakfast and lunch. I then sitdown at my desk to write my web script.

Since Sacramento is the capitol, we cover a lot of political stories. Let's see.... we also cover a lot of fires. But, nothing tops the corky, local crime that happens here in Sacramento!

When a viewer comes up to you while you're at the grocery store on your day off and thanks you for doing a story you did a few weeks back.