Natalie Joseph is the former assistant editor for the arts and entertainment section for The Rotunda. Joseph graduated with a BA in communication studies and a concentration in digital media. Joseph’s biggest accomplishment since graduation has been her job at SB Nation (SBN). When asked what her job at SBN entitles, “I am working as a women's basketball reporter for SBN on their women's basketball site called SwishAppeal. So for SBN, I cover WNBA and NCAA women's basketball teams and have had to opportunity to cover the USA Women's National Team (the Olympic Team) on their #RoadtoRio tour across the U.S. and interview players and coaches. I typically write game recaps and some of my most recent assignments have been to cover the Washington Mystics (WNBA), the Olympic Team before going to Rio and the University of Maryland.” Not only is she working for SBN, but she also recently accepted a local job as a features reporter for the Daily Press. “(I will be covering stories that deal with) local food, drinks, entertainment, people, businesses and art and entrainment in Hampton Roads.” In regards to Josephs’ favorite part about being on The Rotunda, “My favorite part about working at the paper were all the people and friends I met while eating pizza (during the meetings) and also seeing my name being published all the time.” Joseph’s time on The Rotunda taught her interview skills, and it was an opportunity to build her portfolio of “published clips.” Joseph stated, “Whether it is the college newspaper or a creditable blogging site, I encourage students who want to work in any type of journalism to have published writing clips - it will get them very far post-grad.”
Victoria Walker was the editor-in-chief (EIC) for The Rotunda for two years. Walker earned a BA in Communication Studies with a digital media concentration and a minor in political science. Walker’s biggest accomplishment since graduation was landing a job with the National Rifle Association (NRA) as their media relations coordinator as well as signing a lease on her first apartment on her own. Some of what her job for the NRA will require her, “to blog and cover certain things that are going on within the NRA.” Walker believes The Rotunda, “has had every bit of influence on my success today by having different leadership roles within the paper and Rotunda Studios, those helped to prepare me for anything really and having the people skills I obtained made all the difference to get this job.” There were many aspects about being on The Rotunda that Walker listed however, “the friendships I made and the connections that I made with the real world” really stood out to her. Walker stated, “Holding leadership roles and even staff roles that I've helped out on The Rotunda are invaluable because people always say ‘oh, you’ve changed’ as if it’s a bad thing, but growing up teaches you how to be a better person so changing for the better has definitely been something that The Rotunda has taught me grow into myself and formed me to be the best me I can be.”
Emily Haswell is the former arts and entertainment editor for The Rotunda. Haswell earned a BA in Communication Studies with a concentration in digital media. Since graduation she has landed a job as an editor of the Northumberland Echo. Haswell described her job as,” exciting work and I’ve learned a lot about layout an design so far.” Haswell believes The Rotunda has influenced her by, “opening my eyes to the publishing newspaper business and that helped me with my career.” Haswell’s most memorable parts about being on newspaper were, “making a lot of friends; I really liked writing stories, enjoyed being A&E editor, the meetings and I really liked paper critique.”
Briana Adhikusuma is the former news editor for The Rotunda. Adhikusuma earned a BA in communication studies with a concentration in digital media and a minor in photography. Adhikusuma’s biggest accomplishment since graduation has been landing a job at the News-Topics. A small newspaper in Lenoir, North Carolina as the government and business reporter. When referring to how The Rotunda has influenced Adhikusuma’s success today she said, “The Rotunda was a huge part of being responsible for where I am today and being on the Rotunda really allowed me to learn and understand how a newspaper works, how to work with people who have different ideas as you, how to ask the right questions, how to talk to strangers and it definitely taught me how to be a reporter who knows what the right questions are and is not afraid to chase the story.” Adhikusuma’s stated, “It was a great feeling to feel like I was a part of something that was really important, and The Rotunda is something that brings students together to accomplish something really great.”
Taylor O’Bier is the former Rotunda Studios Producer. O’Bier graduated with a BA in communication studies with a concentration in digital media. O’Bier’s biggest accomplishment since graduation has been “getting a job, in the first place. I was hired almost immediately after college, and it was surprising. It's not a job that I saw myself getting but it's an accomplishment getting a job within my field.” With that being said,O’Bier is a reporter for the Northern Neck News. O’Bier believes The Rotunda has influenced her success today through, “Learning more about how a newspaper and media works by just going to the Rotunda meetings and has also taught me things about writing a good piece.” O’bier described her time on The Rotunda as, “At the college level before you receive your degree you get a professional platform, that helps you to build your creditibility; it allows you to build your professional portfolio.”
