With a full sports schedule for the spring semester, university athletes are not the only ones finding themselves busy on the field. Where there is a game, there are also students of the Southeastern Channel reporting every play alongside its players.

Ross Chauvin, a junior communication major, discussed his experience working for the Southeastern Channel.

“My experience being a sports/news MMJ for the Southeastern Channel has been truly surreal and eye-opening. Not many students that decide to enter this field of study are given such opportunities at just any school. The Southeastern Channel has been nationally recognized for consecutive years ever since before this past decade, and I am glad to be able to contribute towards that success,” Chauvin shared.

Many student reporters of the channel gain experience that aids them in finding careers upon graduation. Chauvin feels his tenure with the Southeastern Channel has helped him with finding a future career.

Chauvin said, “I’ve been given opportunities to fulfill MMJ tasks and responsibilities ever since my first semester on campus. It has also allowed me to receive an internship and become a stringer at WGNO (ABC) New Orleans for Friday Night Football and Friday Night Sports. My goal is to become a sports reporter and work my way up the ladder of larger market stations and to one day work for a network such as NBC Sports, ESPN, MLB Network, etc.”

On Feb. 20, Chauvin was given the opportunity to serve as color commentator for Southeastern’s season opener game against Mississippi Valley State University on ESPN+. He shared his experience covering the game.

“I had a great amount of fun with such a rare opportunity. That experience is tied with being able to be a part of the media for a New Orleans Pelicans home game in February 2020 broadcasted on TNT. I was able to interview Alvin Gentry and Zion Williamson and enter the Pelicans locker room and interview Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram at the same time as several other professional news networks,” he recalled.

Kaylee Normand, university and Southeastern Channel alum, reflected on her time as a student reporter before becoming a reporter for KATC TV3.

Normand said, “I can’t thank the Southeastern Channel enough for everything that it taught me to prepare me for my job at KATC today. Not only did they teach me how to be a successful journalist and on camera talent, but they taught me about every other aspect of working in the news/television industry. They really did push us as student reporters, and we were faced with hard deadlines and difficult stories, just like real reporters are faced with every day.”

The Southeastern Channel has won over 300 regional, national and international awards, including 15 Emmy Awards and 56 Emmy nominations, according to their website.

Normand shared that the most important thing she has learned through working at the Southeastern Channel is time management.

“Although it is very different in the real world setting, learning how to work on a short deadline in college made it so much easier for me to adapt to getting my work done within a few hours. I think the way the Channel tries their best to recreate a real news setting with all that they do is extremely beneficial for someone who wants to become a multimedia journalist,” Normand shared.

Normand shared advice for those looking to get involved in the field.

He said, “My advice for anyone who is thinking about getting into the news industry, don’t be afraid. Don’t let your nerves about being on camera, or your nerves about time management get in your way of something that you might be passionate about. When I first started at the Channel, I was horrified to do standups and be on camera, and I was even more nervous about not being able to catch on to everything and meet deadlines, but I gave it a shot.”