By Megan Rowe | Falcon Media intern
BGSU’s School Media and Communications offers its students many resources, most recently a pilot program connecting students with alumni on specific projects. The fledgling mentorship program produced an article in a recent edition of the BG News.
The Alumni Mentorship began summer of 2023 when Karl Smith, Falcon Media manager, reached out to Tyler Buchanan, president of the BG News Alumni Society with an idea to start a program where members of our advisory board and/or standing committee members and current students work together to develop their journalistic skills to prepare for careers in the media industry.
“We’re working towards making a story idea or project executed well. It’s something that I think journalists in college need because it’s one thing to come up with a good story idea and it’s another thing to execute it well,” says Buchanan.
Because professional journalists have been in the same shoes as current students during their undergraduate careers, Tyler says there is a sense of responsibility to guide students to success in the media industry.
“All of us had somebody at some point whether it be a professor or an editor somewhere, we had a mentor that helped us when we were on campus. Every one of us has a story to tell about somebody that helped us,” says Buchanan.
To kick off the program, Laura Sandlin, fourth-year student and managing editor of the BG News, worked alongside Tyler Buchanan to write an article for the BG News highlighting the issue of food insecurity in our community and various resources available to those in need.
Laura’s article mentions that 14.8% of Wood County residents are facing food insecurity and that statistic highlighted the importance of the story for her. Due to the sensitivity of the topic Tyler’s previous experience in covering this subject helped guide her through the storyboarding process.
“Working with Tyler was great. He was super helpful and very knowledgeable on the topic, which was awesome because you know, a huge thing in journalism is a subject-matter expert,” says Sandlin.
Laura and Tyler met via video chat during the drafting process to brainstorm ideas and sources for the story. During the writing process, Tyler reached out to Laura multiple times to answer any questions or clarify the topic.
“The really big benefit of that [brainstorming session] was that he kept reminding me that at the end of the day, you have to realize that you are writing about people at some of their most vulnerable moments. A lot of people don’t want to admit to someone that they have a hard time accessing body wash, shampoo, and other basic necessities,” says Sandlin.
Laura’s story demonstrates the potential impact of the Alumni Mentorship Program on both alumni and students. The program gives students the opportunity to learn and develop their skills from experienced professionals, get insights and advice on their future careers and create lasting connections. At the same time, alumni have the chance to give back to their alma mater and the next generation of professional journalists.
“When we are able to connect with alumni, it’s awesome. Later on, they can become a coworker or even a contact at some point in your life as a journalist,” says Sandlin.
If you’re an alum interested in mentoring a Falcon Media student, simply drop an email to Falcon Media Manager Karl Smith.