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Program Spotlight: CONNECT Syracuse

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Syracuse chapter.

Are you an aspiring broadcast journalist at Syracuse University? Have you ever heard of the program, CONNECT Syracuse? It’s a public affairs program that’s broadcast locally every week, and produced 100% by students. It’s a great opportunity for students who may not have the time to commit to the other two networks on campus, but want to have some experience and some videos in their portfolios. It’s especially great for freshman and sophomores who don’t have any serious broadcast journalism classes, but want to do more besides “storytelling” behind the camera.
CONNECT offers a great opportunity for underclassmen because they get to help produce long or short news pieces – either as a cameraperson, a reporter, an editor, etc. And, those in CONNECT get to work with upperclassmen, and learn from their experiences and essentially be mentored and guided by them. You also get to explore Syracuse – one of the first shorts I helped out with involved us going to a snowshoe competition, and I had never even ventured off campus before that. You really find out how amazing the city of Syracuse, and Onondaga County in general, are – and just how much it can offer. There’s always so much going on that we never hear about because we’re sheltered in the Syracuse bubble, but CONNECT would help you really explore and learn more about Central New York. Plus, you’d get to add to your portfolio and hone your skills before graduation – making you an almost expert before getting a job. It’s a great opportunity, and people should definitely join. Plus, CONNECT is open to all majors interested in broadcast journalism – I’m a PR/EEE dual major and I joined for a semester because I thought that using a camera, and being a braodcast journalist be a great skill to learn. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially as a student, and everybody should really take advantage of it.

Michelle Wong is a senior public relations and entrepreneurship dual major at Syracuse University. At SU, she's a member of the student PR firm, Hill Communications, a contributing writer at A-Line Magazine, an ambassador to both her schools (business and communications), and is often flitting around, as busy as a bee. She went abroad to London in the Fall of 2010, and has been wanting to move there ever since. In her free time, Michelle watches way too much television, and can probably carry on a conversation about any primetime television show aired since 1990. Her favorites that are currently airing include: New Girl, Awkward., Criminal Minds, Prime Suspect, The Mentalist, The X-Factor (US & UK), Law & Order: SVU, Free Agents, Revenge, Breaking Bad, Warehouse 13, Eureka, Downtown Abbey, The Hour, and about 20 other shows. If you ever need a recommendation for a show, you can contact her anytime. She's also ridiculously excited about Smash, Awake, Scandal, and tons of other yet-to-be-aired shows. Michelle is also addicted to Starbucks, greek yoghurt and fruit, Sarah Dessen and Sophia Kinsella novels, and Twinings Tea.