Caroline Love's Comments at the 2005 SJMC New Students Convocation

Good afternoon Class of 2009 and all of your proud parents as well. I know the anxious feelings you have right now because it was only four years ago that I was sitting right over there. It seems like yesterday. Everyone will tell you how fast college will go, and it certainly is the truth.

My name is Caroline Love. I am a Broadcast Journalism major and will be receiving my degree in May. I came from a high school with great journalism classes, I worked on our morning news show and I thought I knew a lot when I first started my journalism classes here at USC.

Let me tell you, you have chosen a school that will completely prepare you for the tough job market you will face. And when you walk in to Journalism 201 or your first writing class, you may feel like you don’t know a thing. But stick with it, don’t ever give up, because the first time you receive an “A,” there is no feeling like it.

Doug Fisher, the copy editing professor will tell you stories of students leaping from his office on the last day of class, pulling their cell phones out to call their parents, “MOM I GOT A “C”!!!” These are tough classes and journalism is not an easy major. But you will push yourself and become a great journalist. The people around you are here to help you succeed.

I can’t tell you how important it is to get to know your professors. Above any piece of advice I can give you is to go to your teachers, talk to them, e-mail them, ask questions…ask questions… ASK QUESTIONS. You’re a JOURNALIST! The faculty in the journalism school is absolutely top-rated. You will be learning from the best, which can make you the best if you take advantage of what you have in your four years here.

I’ll never forget my first journalism class. It was Jour 201 - survey of mass communications and I had Professor Kornegay. This was a huge class - 200 or 300 people. At the end of the first day of class, I walked over to Professor Kornegay and introduced myself. I don’t remember exactly what I said, maybe something about the syllabus or how excited I was about the class.

Well, at the start of the next day of class, Professor Kornegay starts out by saying to all of us, “I want you all to know, that out of this whole class of journalists, only one student introduced themselves. And out of 300 students, I now only know one name and one face.” And just as I started to sink down in my seat, he continues… “Caroline, Caroline Love, where are you? Stand up.”

I stood up, my cheeks with a slight red hue. He continued, giving us our first lesson in our first journalism class.

“When you’re a journalist you need to know everyone. Talk to people, introduce yourself, make friends in high places, because you don’t know who you’ll need as a source for a story one day,” he continued. I sat down.

You made a great choice coming to USC. There are so many opportunities for you to work on your craft here. You’ve probably heard about senior semester.

For print and broadcast students, your last semester in school will be spent in the newsroom from 8 in the morning to 5 or 6 at night. This is real preparation for your future. Print students will work on the senior semester newspaper, The Carolina Reporter and broadcast students will constantly turn out story packages and produce a daily news show for Carolina News.

I’ll be in senior semester for broadcast in the spring, but I had the opportunity to shadow students last year. We hopped in the car early one morning, camera in tow, and drove down to Augusta to cover the Masters! We packaged a great story and drove back to get it edited and on air by 4 o’clock. Tell me, in what other major or job, can you do that!

This job is exciting and intense and you will never be bored. But you have to have the basics. I encourage you to keep writing. That is the most important skill, whether you are a print or broadcast major. The Gamecock, our University newspaper, is a great place to get your work in print. Start writing a daily blog online or try to do some freelancing. Just keep writing.

The media world is changing right now. The days of a pretty face or a nice voice getting you a job is over. If you haven’t heard the word "convergence" yet, you soon will. Technology, the internet and portable news is taking over our world. Soon your local news station won’t be looking for a 6 o’clock anchor, but a backpack journalist. Someone who can take a video camera, a digital camera and a laptop all in a backpack, run out to a location and package a T.V. story. But also write a story for tomorrow’s newspaper, get it in Web format and put it on the news site with links and pictures or a picture slideshow.

Convergence journalism and these backpack journalists are considerably new and much of the world is still learning all of this. But we are so lucky here in Columbia to have Newsplex. This is a $2 million newsroom of the future, built and given to USC by Ifra, a German nedia group. It’s a training center for these next-generation tools and techniques. And it’s fabulous.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Newsplex in a variety of ways, and I feel it will set me apart in the resume stacks when I start applying for jobs. I highly encourage you to get involved with Newsplex in any way you can.

Get involved on campus, meet people, study, do well in your classes and realize how fast four years go by. Start tonight by writing your goals down on paper and set out to accomplish each one.

Just a few more tidbits… Girls you are going to need a sensible pair of black pumps and you're eventually going to have to part with your long hair. Guys – you too. And men do wear make-up in this business, but you’ll get used to it.

Now, if everyone who is starting college this year, could turn to their parents. And say thank you.

Parents, your kids owe you so much. And they know it. Don’t ever stop supporting them. You are their biggest cheerleader. And they know that too. I want to take this opportunity to thank my biggest supporter, my mom, my cheerleader, who is here today. Thanks Mom, you’ve gotten me here.

I see a room full of talented, bright journalists. Stay focused on what you want to do, and I know your four years here will be a success.

GOOD LUCK and don’t forget to keep asking questions!