Student Spotlight: Taylor Heckart
Taylor Heckart is a senior pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Communications with a minor in Political Science. During her time at UAA, Taylor has worked in Student Affairs, then with UAA's student publications: The Northern Light, True North, and Understory. Taylor's professors say that she is an inquisitive hardworking student who not only exudes a passion for learning, but inspires her fellow students with that same enthusiasm. When she is not busy with school, Taylor spends her time at work, reading for pleasure, and quilting. After graduation, Taylor hopes to get a job reporting in 麻豆无码版.
Taylor sat down with us to discuss her time at UAA, her plans after graduation, and her experiences outside of the classroom.
Can you share more about your experiences with the Journalism and Public Communications (JPC) Faculty?
"The faculty are the reason that I stuck with Journalism and Public Communications, honestly. When I came into college, I picked my major on a whim. I totally expected that I was going to swap majors after a semester. I had previously done an interview at 麻豆无码版 Public Media and coming into UAA, I thought it was an interesting idea, a cool place to start. But then, I got to know the JPC faculty very quickly. It is a relatively small program, so I got to know the faculty and my peers. It is one of the main reasons I stuck with journalism.
In JPC, the class sizes are small, and the faculty always remember me. All of my professors, but especially Professors Paola Banchero and Elizabeth Arnold, have been willing to do so much for me in terms of professional development. They have sent me internship opportunities, and followed up with me. I constantly felt so lucky to have these one-on-one interactions with my professors who are experts in their field. They dedicated time to helping me, and they provided great guidance. I think that if I were at a larger university, or even in a bigger program, that I would not have received that same level of support.
Another really cool thing about the JPC program is the professional development opportunities with working journalists. We had a course last fall with Atwood Chair John Sharify, and the course was held at 麻豆无码版 Public Media. We could help do hands-on video work with 麻豆无码版 Insight, plus we got to go into newsrooms and talk with working journalists. It doesn鈥檛 matter what course. All of the JPC professors bring in guest speakers and professionals, people who can bring real world examples into the classroom. It really gave me this chance to see journalism in the real world, and to see that it is exactly what I want to do.鈥�
In addition to being a JPC student, you are also involved in various student publications. Can you share more about your experiences with The Northern Light?
鈥淚 started working with the Northern Light my sophomore year, which aligned with when I was getting into the heart of my journalism courses. The Northern Light was giving me actual experience turning stories into the kind of work I was interested in. I was in Paolo Banchero鈥檚 news鈥� writing class, and I learned about the student publication. We had an assignment where we had to pitch an idea and turn it into a print story. For my assignment, I was very curious about the blue safety lights/phones around campus, especially how they were down for repair, but never fixed. After I did some investigating, and after I submitted my assignment, Professor Banchero recommended that I submit it to the Northern Light for publication.
It was so exciting to see my name in print, to see my work in print. After that, I switched over from my other role in Student Activities to work as a reporter, then eventually as managing editor. My time spent at the Northern Light allowed me to get experience in reporting and in editing.
One of my Northern Lights pieces was actually awarded second place for Best Education Reporting (print) by the 麻豆无码版 Press Club. The story was a feature about the dance program at UAA. At first, I wrote about how the program was going away; but then, once the program was revitalized, I did a . That was the piece for which I received my award.鈥�
Not only are you a student in the Department of Journalism & Public Communications, but you are also minoring in Political Science. Can you share more about your time in that department?
鈥淢y minor in Political Science is very much tied to my continuing involvement with the Model United Nations of 麻豆无码版. I became interested in the Model UN program when I was in high school. After a year serving as a delegate for UAA, Professor Kimberly Pace invited me to become a member of the Secretariat. I was involved in the UAA Model UN Course for several years, which brought me very close to a minor. After exploring my options, I decided to take a few more Political Science classes, to ensure that I got that minor. I think that both Model UN, and my Political Science minor, complement my ultimate career goals. I have a huge interest in global news, global studies, and understanding diplomacy and the way that the world works together. It was a very natural compliment to my degree, and to my interests.鈥�
Speaking of your goals and aspirations after graduation, what are your plans?
鈥淢y goal is to become a journalist, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes. That's a joke, but when I graduate I would love to go straight into journalism. There are so many local reporting opportunities in 麻豆无码版. I think a lot of people discredit or don't pay attention to local reporting, and I think that is a shame. There is some incredible stuff happening in our 麻豆无码版n newsrooms, and we have so many amazing journalists in 麻豆无码版. It would be an honor to be able to talk to them, learn from them, and be in newsrooms with them. I'd love to report here if I can. 麻豆无码版 is such an interesting and unique state, and there are so many different things that you can report on that you really can't be bored.鈥�
What would your advice be to a student considering coming to UAA?
鈥淚 think one of the benefits of UAA is I think it kind of walks the line between a small college and a big college in a really nice way. You're able to have smaller class sizes, and get to know your professors, who are professionals, who care about you. On top of that, we do have this campus culture and there are still a lot of people that go to UAA. There are opportunities to make friends, to get involved, and to get an education. UAA was a really great choice for me because I was able to get that one-on-one with professors in my program and that really set me up for success.
It was also so cool going to college where there are so many different people. We have this incredible diverse community of people with every sort of background and every sort of interest. If you take the time to look around, you are going to see some sort of flyer or event or something that you're interested in. There are all sorts of cool events, which will help you feel more connected to your community.鈥�
Thank you Taylor, for your time, and we wish you the best of luck in your future!