Katie Sampson (BSJ, ‘12) spent the days immediately following her graduation in May driving into the unknown.

“I honestly didn’t have any expectations,” says Sampson.  “I had never been to the Midwest.  I had no idea what I was in for.” A few whirlwind weeks before graduating, the broadcast journalism student accepted an offer from Kansas First News, a Topeka-based affiliate of ABC, NBC, and Fox, thus beginning her career as a full-time reporter.

Sampson reporting for Kansas First News.

Sampson, joined by her mom and her closest friend, Fonsi, packed her black Passat and made the 1,500-mile trip to Topeka in two days; one of many quick transitions her professors at CJN promised would characterize a career in broadcast journalism.

“Since the first journalism class I had at Suffolk, my professors have said, ‘If you’re serious about being in broadcast journalism, you better be ready to pick up and move anywhere, at any time.’”

Even so, the thought of accepting the job offer and uprooting completely was intimidating.  She sought guidance from her Suffolk U News professor, Dr. Dana Rosengard.

“I ran into Dana’s office when I got the offer, and I was almost crying because I was just so overwhelmed.  He was like, ‘You knew this day was going to come, but you didn’t realize that it was going to be scary… and it is scary.  You just have to do it.’  I needed him to tell me this [was] the right decision.  A lot of people don’t have that person,” she reflects, “[who] can tell them, ‘This is a good decision for you, because I know you personally and I know the business, too.’  It’s really, really amazing.”

Sampson, pictured here with Dr. Dana Rosengard, earned an AP award for outstanding Feature Reporting as a CJN senior.

With sound advice and a solid foundation of course work and class experience to build upon, Sampson was ready to take on life as a reporter. But, as with anything new and different, Sampson’s first few weeks on the job were challenging.

“I felt confident going and doing the interviews,” she says of her initial days at Kansas First.  “But I came back and I was editing… and there were issues here and there.  It ended up getting on air, but it…was a wake-up call.  You are prepared, but you’re going to mess up here and there, and it’s going to be hard.  But that’s fine, because if I went in knowing everything, then I wouldn’t be challenged at all and I wouldn’t improve.”

Sampson and her friend Fonsi on the drive to Topeka.

Six months in, her new position is already providing ample learning opportunities.  Time, she notes, is the most striking difference between student and professional reporting. Suffolk U News usually afforded Sampson about a week to put a piece together, but writing and editing a package in two hours is not uncommon at Kansas First News.  No matter how tight the deadline, Sampson is also responsible for accurately presenting the facts to her viewers.

“You get to talk to these amazing people that have these incredible stories.  You get to meet people in all sorts of different situations and backgrounds and [have] conversations you would never be able to have in any other instance. You really do get to learn something new every day,” she says, “but that’s also why it can be stressful.  You’re responsible for teaching this to the viewers and teaching it in a way that they’ll understand it and remember it.   And if you’re not comfortable with the subject, you have to become an expert in a very short period of time.”

Sampson embraces the challenge with gusto; she sees these opportunities to learn as unique and immeasurable. At this stage in her young career, Sampson is cautious in setting long-term goals; there is no 5-year plan to which she must adhere.

“I had this attitude from the start that I was going to work as hard as I possibly can and have mini-goals, and even long-term goals in short-term situations.  But long-term life?  You can’t control a lot of that.  You can control what you do, but you can’t control what other people do and what opportunities come up and don’t come up. …When I think long-term,” she elaborates, “I think it would be completely unrealistic to envision myself at some end point, because there [are] so many things that could happen that could happen between [now] and then.”

“I like to be a realist,” says Sampson.  What she is yet to be, though, is still unknown.

“Once you leave, even for a short trip, your life will forever be opened and changed.”

CJN alum Cid Carver (BSJ ’11) would know; her life changed dramatically when plans to move to Barcelona and teach English after graduation spontaneously morphed into six weeks spent living on the roof of a hostel in Tel Aviv, Israel, while she searched for a job and a place to live in the country she now calls “home.”

“I had been thinking and talking about taking a big trip for years, and finally I just took this opportunity and went for it,” she says.  “Mind you, I was not planning this.  I had my camping backpack, a few outfits, and shoes.  There was no shelf space, just a place to put my backpack with twenty other people’s luggage.”

A hostel environment: Carver's temporary home upon arriving in Israel.

“We slept on hammocks or camping pads, and the bugs were awful!” she continues.  “But I adapted.  Eventually, I earned my own shelf behind the bar.  I slept under the clothing line and then acquired a bug net, so I had shade and no bugs.  There was a complete lack of privacy and space, and it was hot.”

In spite of those challenges, Carver believes the weeks of sacrifice were well worth it.  “It [was] one of those defining moments in my life,” she reflects. “I am still friends with the owner of the hostel!”

This comes as no surprise, as Carver’s specialty is making connections.  While at Suffolk, she interned for social media guru Erik Qualman, author ofSocialnomics. Carver also worked as a social media consultant for several companies, and co-wrote a book about social media use for financial advisors with her father, Randy Carver. She is currently the Social Media and SEM Account Manager for the start-up company Fried Cookie, which builds desktop applications. Youthful energy abounds at Fried Cookie’s headquarters, a penthouse office in downtown Tel Aviv with an ocean view, and where playing music and ping pong is commonplace.

The view from Fried Cookie's offices.