Major: Journalism / Spanish
Years at IU: 2008 – 2012
What she did at IU: WIUX Sports Radio, Alpha Xi Delta sorority, and Kilroy’s Patio. (Am I allowed to say that?!)
What she does now: I am currently the team reporter for the Chicago Bears. I co-host a weekly year-round show called Inside The Bears with former player Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams on FOX 32 Chicago, and I also contribute to Bears GameDay Live and Bears GameNight Live on FOX during the season. I am the in-stadium host at Soldier Field for every Bears home game where I promote festivities around the stadium, give fantasy football updates during the TV breaks, and interview alumni on the video boards. I also give Bears Updates several times a week for the Chicago Bears website and social media platforms. I grew up a big Bears fan in the Chicago suburbs so working for the team pretty much qualifies as my “dream job.” In addition to football, my life revolves around spending time with my family, hopping on airplanes to see my fiancé, Kevin, who is currently serving in the Marine Corps, and spoiling our yellow lab, Chevy!
What advice she has for sports media students: The biggest piece of advice I have for students pursuing a career in the sports industry is “Work hard and be nice to people.” I would never be in the position I am today if I didn’t spend a LOT of long hours at a small TV station in Rockford, Illinois shooting, editing, and writing every sports story I covered from Carp-A-Thon fishing tournaments to Friday Night Lights.
I would also never be in this position I am today if I didn’t smile and say hello as I schlepped my tripod through the Bears facility every week, the United Center, or Wrigley Field to shoot my own stand-ups when the Chicago reporters had at least one cameraman. You never know who is noticing how hard you work and more importantly, how you treat the people around you. Also, there is no such thing as “too small” of a place to start.
After graduation, I went from walking dogs and working six other odd jobs (no joke I was actually in bagel commercials) while I improved my demo reel, to market number 126, to the NFL in three years. I use the skills that I learned in IU’s Journalism program every day at my job and I am beyond grateful for how well it prepared me to work in this totally crazy, exciting, ever-changing world of sports!