Journalism sophomore Krista Wilson started gaining work experiences early on in her college career. The fall of her freshman year at MSU, she already had lined up an internship with City Pulse as a reporter. She spent her first semester on campus covering all kinds of stories – from Lansing’s small businesses to arts and culture grants.
Her experience on her high school’s newspaper helped her get the job, but working for a weekly publication taught her a lot.
“In high school, I had a couple weeks to do a story, compared to City Pulse where I had to learn how to really manage my time better,” she said. “I had maybe three to four web stories a week, so it was intense.”
Wilson also is involved with MSU Telecasters, which has been especially helpful, since someday she hopes to work as an entertainment reporter.
“I was able to start on-camera reporting. I look at these videos now and see what I could have done differently and what I will do differently,” she said.
Currently, Wilson is working as a host for Planet Radio 100, an Internet radio station. As a host, Wilson interviews artists about their music on air. She also reports on current events and localizes stories to Detroit.
She first heard of the opportunity on www.internships.com. She applied, did a phone interview, and started the job as soon as she finished spring semester.
All of these experiences have helped Wilson find her strengths and interests in a journalism career path.
“When I go to be an entertainment reporter, I can say ‘Okay, this is what I want to do.’ I feel like I really have a purpose here. (My internships have) confirmed my goals,” she said. “I actually like radio hosting more. I feel like there’s more freedom. Even though it’s journalism, it’s entertainment, so you have more freedom to be creative than when you’re just reporting on the facts. Your personality is more part of the package.”
Wilson received the MSUFCU Internship Award, which helped cover her expenses during her summer at Planet Radio.
Even with three work experiences under her belt, she’s not stopping. Wilson currently is searching for another broadcasting internship for the summer.
She encourages her fellow students not to discount their own experiences, even if they haven’t had an internship yet.
“Any experience you have is good experience. They shouldn’t feel like they’ll be turned down or rejected because they don’t have prior experience,” she said. “If they had a journalism class where they had to do a video or a story, they can use that stuff from class and use it to apply for internships.”
By Kelsey Block, Journalism and Arts and Humanities double major
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