Upon arriving at the University of Maryland, freshmen enter a new world of glistening opportunity. Of course, all of this novelty can be overwhelming as students struggle to decide what they are passionate about, what clubs they want to join and what people they want to surround themselves with over the next four years.
Many freshmen feel pressure to “have it all figured out” pretty quickly. Naturally, they envy their peers who indisputably love their majors and those who are already reaching great success on campus. One of these lucky, enviable freshman happens to be freshman journalism major Lila Bromberg who hails from Chevy Chase, Maryland. She is already making a mark on publications at UMD.
While it is typical for freshmen to get involved with one, or perhaps two, publications on campus their first semester, Bromberg has been contributing impressive material to three. Her positions include crime beat reporter on the news desk for The Diamondback, women’s volleyball (fall) and women’s basketball (winter) teams reporter for the WMUC Sports website and The Left Bench photographer. In addition to on-campus reporting, she works part-time for USA Today Sports.
While it is incredibly uncommon for a freshman in college to be working for a publication as reputable as USA Today, Bromberg started there towards the end of her junior year of high school. She was hired to help develop a sports trivia quiz program that the publication sells to MSN as a profit center.
The job requires her to do lengthy research and produce her own syndicated quizzes. And this is only during the school year! When school is not in session, she writes articles and works for the publication full-time.
It is clear that Bromberg already kindles a strong passion for journalism despite only starting to learn about it at the collegiate level a few months ago.
When asked how she got involved in the field:
“I started working for my school newspaper in middle school and just really fell in love with journalism. I remember in eighth grade when I first discovered the adrenaline of a feeling you get after an amazing interview,” Bromberg said. “Whether it be when you dig into the mind of someone who is extremely passionate about a certain issue, uncover something unknown to the public, or just get a really great quote that makes your story, there’s nothing like it!”
Since middle school, she has been “hooked” on her craft and loves the idea that something as simple as her writing could have a profound impact on the world.
While Bromberg may seem like a “super journalist,” when asked about her adjustment to UMD, she admitted that, “At first it was a little overwhelming working for so many publications on campus and balancing classes and a social life, but now I feel like everything is set.”
So, at least she still feels stress like the rest of us. Regardless, after basically two months at college, this collegiate woman has managed to set the bar high for her fellow journalists.
As she looks into the future, Bromberg has already (unsurprisingly) set strong goals for herself. While she is grappling with choosing a career focused on sports or investigative journalism, she can see herself working as part of The New York Times investigative team or writing for ESPN.
It is likely that we will see this confident and talented female journalist continue to make a difference at UMD publications. Who’s to say that she will not have written for all of them by her graduation in over three years’ time?