I want to take you back to my college days for a little bit.
I went to college at Mitchell College in New London, CT. New London is about halfway between New York City and Boston. I had been taking classes in my major for some time and coming up on the summer before senior year, it was time to find myself a summer internship. Yikes!
I looked all over different job websites, trying to find a place to spend my summer. Of course, I applied to all the big name television studios, huge newspaper corporations, and New York City's top radio stations. I never made it past the application process.
The love for radio came early on in life, age 3.
When I went home for summer break, I visited the very small FM radio station in the neighboring town. I interviewed for the internship and I landed it. The real work was just beginning.
During my summer internship at WRNJ, I learned many things. When I arrived every day, I was in charge of making sure all the content for the afternoon drive hour were downloaded, print out any PSA's that needed to be read on air, and update the birthday and anniversary announcement sheet. After that, it was off to the newsroom to see if any audio clips needed to be prepared. Of course, my days wouldn't be complete without the intern task of filing billing paperwork.
As I ventured through the 100 hours I needed for school, I also got the opportunity to attend a live remote at a local car dealership, be the voice behind a commercial that was used on air to promote a summer golf outing, and even met one of the anchors of ABC News Radio in New York City.
Would I have had those experiences if I was an intern at a huge company? Probably not.
When I returned to school in the fall for my senior year, I was ready to take on more and more responsibilities at Radio Mitchell. John McGowan, the station manager, and Ericca Farrington, the program coordinator, put me in charge of running the news department of the station.
Manning the Radio Mitchell table at the Student Activities Fair at Mitchell College, Fall 2012
That fall, I also decided to take on another internship. This time, I worked the fall semester at New London's radio station, Q105. Q105 was all about mainstream music, where I got to listen to all kinds of pop and current day hits. I loved getting to hang out in the production booth and watch the shows as they happened.
At Radio Mitchell, I loved making shows, commercials, and attending the live events. On Monday nights, I hosted the Monday Night Rewind with my friend Tiana. We played throwback music from the 80s and 90s, hosted trivia contests, and had a great time. On Saturdays, I cohosted the Radio Mitchell Top 20 Countdown with my roommate Ericca. I was also the creator of the Radio Mitchell Celeb 411 Update. Each day, I created a top of the hour news segment that would update our listeners on all the breaking news of Hollywood.
When I graduated from Mitchell College in May 2013, I knew I found a passion. I loved getting to play the music I listened to, making commercials, manning live remotes. I wanted nothing more than to get into it after college and make it my career. While I write this blog, I am thinking about creating my own online radio station and getting back into the passion that I had in college.
I recently found tracks and recordings of all different Celeb 411 Updates, Monday Night Rewind episodes, and a few commercials I made. Wanting to share this with my blog fans, I uploaded them to an audio website and thought I'd give all of you the link! I hope you enjoy them!
While I never became an official DJ on any station, I did get the opportunity to work in the radio field, just as part of the news department. In 2014 and again in 2017, I was a part time reporter for WGHT Radio in Pompton Lakes, NJ. I covered council meetings, board of education meetings, community events, parades, and sometimes even sports. My biggest story while on the staff at WGHT was the opportunity to cover the New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate in late 2017. The company folded in early 2018, but I loved every minute of my time on the air.
To the world of college radio, I'll always be grateful for you. You exposed me to another passion in my life. I miss the Radio Mitchell studio more than ever and I'd do anything to produce one more show. You'll always hold a special place in my heart.
Signing off,
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