video interview
Rachel
Year: Senior
Major: Media Studies
College: Media
One-on-One
What are your favorite places to study, hang out, and relax?
The English building lounge is a nice place to study on campus. It’s never too crowded, and since it’s on the quad, I’m always close to my classes.
For me, the best place to hang out is downtown Champaign. There are a couple of really nice independent coffee shops there, which also make for good study spots. It’s also where the guitar shops are, and I can really spend some time and money there!
What clubs or organizations on campus are you involved with?
WILL-TV: I started volunteering at this local PBS affiliate my very first semester at Illinois, and was hired on not too much later. It’s been an amazing learning experience, and I get to try my hand in all the different areas of TV production. I’ve done everything from running the teleprompter to producing and editing my own segment for a local news magazine show. The best part of working at WILL is that everyone there is very helpful and encouraging. If you want tot try something out, someone is always willing to teach you.
Why and how did you choose your major?
I chose media studies because I am interested in understanding the interactions between media and culture as a whole. I am especially interested in pop culture, and how certain pop culture artifacts reflect the social and political climate of where and when they were produced (especially music and art). My major has continued to fascinate me as I study journalism, critical theory, media effects and so much more.
Media is something I’ve been engaged in my entire life without giving it a second thought. But, as the media grows in it’s ever increasing importance to our everyday existence, I think it is imperative to study what media we as a culture are producing and what that in produces in us.
Describe your most memorable experience at Illinois.
The first time a documentary that I worked on for WILL was screened, the family of one of the women profiled approached my colleagues and I afterwards and thanked us for telling their family’s story. Seeing how important it was to them was moving.
What is your advice to prospective students?
Don’t worry about not having a major or career in mind when you start school. Take a wide variety of classes, explore, be engaged, and (most importantly) have fun with your studies. You’ll figure the rest of it out along the way.
Video Interview
Check out YouTube for more videos.