Name: Katie Winkler
Year: Junior
Major: Journalism and Public Relations
Hometown: Lake Orion, Michigan
What is your current position at the State News? Editorial Designer
How long have you been working there, and what different positions have you held? I have worked at the State News since I transferred to MSU from Oakland University last year. I worked in the newsroom as a sports reporter and the viral reporter last year and have recently switched to design. It is my third semester here.
What is your typical day at work? My typical day at work consists of me working with the other editorial designer and creating pages and graphics. This semester, I have been creating pre and post football game ASF’s (alternative story formats). I am constantly working with the newsroom to check on what their vision is for graphics, which stories are ready to be placed, etc. We work closely with photo as well.
How were you prepared for working at the State News? Before coming to the State News, I worked as an intern throughout high school, and then I was hired as a reporter for summer 2014 at the Lake Orion Review, my hometown newspaper. There, I wrote about 3-4 stories a week, took photos to supplement my stories and designed pages.
How has the State News, if at all, prepared you for your professional life outside of college? I am so grateful to be hired at the State News. It has given me real world experience that I have been able to take with me to internships and will carry through my post-college jobs.
While I was in the newsroom, I learned how to work under pressure and meet deadlines, create well-rounded stories with a variety of sources and how to create multimedia to draw readers in. I had never really done videos to supplement stories before, but at the State News, I did. I really enjoyed capturing the story in a different format.
Now that I am in design, I have really learned how to work quickly and efficiently. Sometimes stories and photos are not available to us when we go to design the pages, so we have to create them close to when pages need to be checked and sent.
I feel like I can’t even describe the amount of experience I have gained through these three semesters. I am constantly learning there.
What is your favorite thing about working at the SNews? I strongly cherish the friendships I have gained from State News. I have met some amazing people and have been able to network with them also. I love working at a place that is so highly recognized — last year we won an Online Pacemaker.
Three fun facts about yourself, and what are likes and dislikes?
1. While it is the most hated for others, winter is one of my favorite seasons because I get to take my board to the slopes. I started skiing when I was really young and switched to snowboarding in 8th grade.
2. My family has a cottage on Intermediate Lake in Bellaire, Michigan — the only reason anyone knows this small town now is because of Short’s Brewery, which has incredible Pulled Chicken Salad.
3. Even though I am athletic and active, I have terrible luck when it comes to physical activities. In high school, I stress fractured my back from cheerleading and pulled my groin at the gym freshman year of college. Most recently, though, I got elbowed in the mouth and got a tooth knocked during a “touch” football game against the Michigan Daily (U-M’s campus paper).
Likes: I love my bubbly, outgoing personality. Very rarely do I get put in awkward situations.
Dislikes: I naturally talk way too loud a majority of the time.
What are some of your hopes for the future? The field of journalism has so many options, so I haven’t completely decided what I want to do after college. My specialization is in visual communications, so I would, ideally, love to work for a fitness magazine doing graphics and layout or doing sports or entertainment PR.