Mariam Ballout '10 knows she wants to go into TV journalism. With this goal in mind, she found and applied for an internship in the newsroom of WTEN-TV, an Albany TV station. During her summer in the newsroom, Ballout learned first-hand a whole collection of new skills, from eliciting information from the grieving, to dealing with bizarre phone calls, to cutting and editing a story for release.
Ballout was one of more than 20 Hamiltonians who received college funding to participate in a summer internship. Work experience is becoming more and more necessary for college students but many opportunities are unpaid and require students to fund their own housing and living expenses as well as working for free.
Thanks to alumni and parent donations, Hamilton students can apply for funding to support them while they work in a field of interest with an organization that cannot pay them. Though Ballout worked in an unpaid internship, she received a grant from Hamiltonians Jim '71 and Sue '72 Morgan to support her internship this summer.
Ballout's duties in the newsroom were varied. She was involved with the stories during the research and production process, and worked on answering the tip lines, as well as finding, confirming, researching, and following up stories. Inside the studio, Ballout ran the teleprompter and helped write stories and select sound bites.
She worked with the news staff, including reporters, producers, editors and assistant desk managers. Although many of her co-workers were stressed, she explained that people made time to answer her questions and offer helpful hints and advice. "The main bulk of what I learned at the station came from conversations with reporters, producers, and photographers who were always willing to share knowledge, experience, and advice," she said.
The summer has made Ballout, who as an intern for Hamilton Media Relations office already has some experience with the media world, think about a journalist's place and actions. "Difficult decisions made by journalists go far beyond deciding which stories to cover and which stories to kill during broadcasts," said Ballout, and added a few examples from the summer's Albany news. She described listening to a co-worker interview an emotionally distraught woman, and a photographer edit footage from a car crash to present coverage which was accurate but not overly graphic.
An ambitious and active intern, Ballout advised others applying for an internship to be ready to ask questions and take opportunities. "It's always worth it," she emphasized. During the year, Ballout works in the media relations office, as well as acting as a campus tour guide and a Bonner Leader (a program which sets up eight students per class year with internships working for community development non-profits in Utica). She is a participant in Project SHINE, and a member of the Middle Eastern student association and the student assembly, as well as being active in the political scene as a coordinator for the Students for Barak Obama campaign.
A prospective world politics major, Ballout hopes to work in media and government after she graduates from Hamilton. "War correspondent, diplomat, politician, or lawyer," she mused. "Ideally, I would love to be involved in something that helped attain peace in the Middle East… I want to have my hand in something that can lead to better understanding of the world."
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
Ballout was one of more than 20 Hamiltonians who received college funding to participate in a summer internship. Work experience is becoming more and more necessary for college students but many opportunities are unpaid and require students to fund their own housing and living expenses as well as working for free.
Thanks to alumni and parent donations, Hamilton students can apply for funding to support them while they work in a field of interest with an organization that cannot pay them. Though Ballout worked in an unpaid internship, she received a grant from Hamiltonians Jim '71 and Sue '72 Morgan to support her internship this summer.
Ballout's duties in the newsroom were varied. She was involved with the stories during the research and production process, and worked on answering the tip lines, as well as finding, confirming, researching, and following up stories. Inside the studio, Ballout ran the teleprompter and helped write stories and select sound bites.
She worked with the news staff, including reporters, producers, editors and assistant desk managers. Although many of her co-workers were stressed, she explained that people made time to answer her questions and offer helpful hints and advice. "The main bulk of what I learned at the station came from conversations with reporters, producers, and photographers who were always willing to share knowledge, experience, and advice," she said.
The summer has made Ballout, who as an intern for Hamilton Media Relations office already has some experience with the media world, think about a journalist's place and actions. "Difficult decisions made by journalists go far beyond deciding which stories to cover and which stories to kill during broadcasts," said Ballout, and added a few examples from the summer's Albany news. She described listening to a co-worker interview an emotionally distraught woman, and a photographer edit footage from a car crash to present coverage which was accurate but not overly graphic.
An ambitious and active intern, Ballout advised others applying for an internship to be ready to ask questions and take opportunities. "It's always worth it," she emphasized. During the year, Ballout works in the media relations office, as well as acting as a campus tour guide and a Bonner Leader (a program which sets up eight students per class year with internships working for community development non-profits in Utica). She is a participant in Project SHINE, and a member of the Middle Eastern student association and the student assembly, as well as being active in the political scene as a coordinator for the Students for Barak Obama campaign.
A prospective world politics major, Ballout hopes to work in media and government after she graduates from Hamilton. "War correspondent, diplomat, politician, or lawyer," she mused. "Ideally, I would love to be involved in something that helped attain peace in the Middle East… I want to have my hand in something that can lead to better understanding of the world."
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
