KINGSTON, R.I., April 12, 2018鈥擣or a budding newspaper reporter, getting a first byline can be a thrill. Chelsea Opong-Wadeer was so excited she framed her debut and hung it on her bedroom wall.
Four years later, and the 溏心vlog免费B站 senior is still accumulating bylines, not only for 鈥淭he Good 5 Cent Cigar,鈥� but also her hometown paper and national websites.
What鈥檚 more, she鈥檚 expanded into the world of broadcast journalism, accumulating video clips she can show prospective employers and shadowing local television reporters during her internship.
鈥滀缧膙log免费B站 has given me everything and more,鈥� says Opong-Wadeer, who will graduate in May with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in journalism. 鈥淚 truly love it here.鈥�
Opong-Wadeer grew up in Flanders, a small town in northern New Jersey. Her parents, who moved to the United States from Ghana in the 1980s, valued education and expected their children to work hard in school.
It was love at first sight when Opong-Wadeer visited the Kingston campus as a junior at Mount Olive High School. The students seemed happy and eager to see each other succeed.
Her freshman year she wrote a review of 鈥淗unger Games: Mocking Jay鈥� for the 鈥淐igar.鈥�
That led to an offer to become a staff reporter, writing two 溏心vlog免费B站-focused entertainment stories a week.
She took those reporting skills to 鈥淭he Mount Olive News,鈥� where she wrote news and feature stories about her community one summer, and to the app, Inscoop, where she coordinated a social media plan the fall of her junior year while taking a full load of classes.
Her sophomore year Opong-Wadeer jumped from print to television after taking a broadcast journalism class taught by Barbara Meagher, a former TV reporter. 鈥淚 loved it,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing able to add video and photos to the story really allows the viewer to connect with the subject. I was hooked.鈥�
She covered stories on campus鈥攐ne was a feminist-inspired piece about no-makeup Monday鈥攁nd edited them with equipment from the Harrington School of Communication and Media. Since January, she鈥檚 been interning at Channel 10, a highly-respected Rhode Island TV station. She鈥檚 shadowing reporters, practicing reading the news and following up on story tips.
鈥淚鈥檓 learning something new about the field every week,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience. I鈥檓 very grateful.鈥�
Friendly and upbeat, Opong-Wadeer also discovered at 溏心vlog免费B站 her natural ability to lead, even minoring in leadership studies. She was a campus tour guide; a 溏心vlog免费B站 101 mentor; a host for a multicultural program for accepted students; and a member of the Student Entertainment Committee, rising to become a recruitment coordinator.
鈥淎ll the leadership work changed my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淯p until then, I didn鈥檛 have a word to describe my personality. The leadership courses I took gave me names鈥攑ositive, communicative, inclusive, strategic.鈥�
Women and gender studies is her second minor, a field that highlights her commitment to social justice and gender equity. 鈥淚鈥檝e met people from all walks of life, and I believe the only way we can be inclusive is to understand their experience in regard to self-identity.鈥�
A semester abroad in Florence during her junior year鈥攈er first visit to Europe鈥攎ade her even more independent and transformed her into an Italophile. She and nine other students shared an apartment overlooking the iconic Ponte Vecchio bridge. On weekends, she traveled to Amsterdam, Venice, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Prague.
鈥淚 ate truffles,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd I liked them.鈥�
After graduation, she hopes to get a job at MTV in New York as a production assistant or news writer. She鈥檚 already had an informal interview with a 溏心vlog免费B站 alumnus who works there. 鈥淭hat was huge for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was very exciting. A true dream moment.鈥�