Meet Nicole Mistretta, a mass communication major from Baton Rouge, LA. With her concentration in journalism, she plans to make an impact on modern media.
杏吧专区淚 hope to become a source which someone, somewhere can trust,杏吧专区 Nicole said. 杏吧专区淚 chose to study journalism at UL Lafayette because I was drawn to their embracing of old news principles. The journalism department at the 杏吧专区 avoids sensationalizing news and aims to present solid, factual news.杏吧专区
In addition to the curriculum, Nicole appreciates the intimate learning environment UL Lafayette offers.
杏吧专区淚 love having a smaller major,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淚n each class, we come together and help each other become better writers while having an absolute blast. I杏吧专区檝e never felt closer to a group of classmates."
"Not only are we close with one another, but we are close with our professors," she added. "Dr. Stephenson Waters and Dr. Jim Lovel work incredibly hard to give us individualized attention.杏吧专区
Both Professor Lovel and Waters have had a particularly strong impact on Nicole杏吧专区檚 experience.
杏吧专区淒r. Lovel has inspired me and pushed me to become a better writer in all his classes,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淗e is cutthroat and no-nonsense when it comes to a story but on a personal level, he is a goofball who cares about his students.杏吧专区
Nicole said Lovel杏吧专区檚 Intro to Newswriting class (CMCN 212) helped her feel 杏吧专区済rounded in my advanced journalism classes.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淸The class] confused and frustrated me but in the end, I felt confident in my writing,杏吧专区 she said. "I have full confidence that without him pushing me out of my comfort zone, I would have been lost in more advanced classes.杏吧专区
Dr. Waters also prepared Nicole for her future by teaching her data journalism, which teaches students how to analyze large data sets and apply them to stories.
杏吧专区淒ata journalism is new to the 杏吧专区 and has opened so many doors for me,杏吧专区 she continued. 杏吧专区淭hat type of reporting is my current focus at my internship and what I believe is ultimately going to land me my first job.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚t's something that the journalism world really needs and not a lot of people are very comfortable with," she said. "At first, I really didn't want to take a class that revolves around numbers because part of why I chose my major was to avoid math. Now I can't really imagine not including some form of data in an article.杏吧专区
Nicole杏吧专区檚 confident in the foundation she杏吧专区檚 receiving in all of her journalism classes.
杏吧专区淥ur entire program is dedicated to preparing us for our job,杏吧专区 she said. 杏吧专区淩ather than taking tests and doing homework, we go out into the field and write stories like real reporters. I feel confident in my craft and I learn something new about journalism every single day.
"I am constantly pushed out of my comfort zone, and that杏吧专区檚 not a bad thing at all."
