Wondering what you can do in journalism with your Calvin degree? Here’s what these alumni are doing with theirs:
Producing for State of the Union
Ryan Struyk started working on political stories for CNN in 2017. Nine months later, he became a producer for State of the Union with Jake Tapper.
The Sunday morning show airs nationwide and focuses on politics. The show features guests like 2020 presidential candidates. Ryan writes questions for the interviews and researches important policies for the 2020 election.
Researching for CNN
Mimi Mutesa immediately jumped into the newsroom. She connected with Ryan, who she knew from Calvin, and landed an internship at CNN. Less than a month after her graduation, she went to Washington, D.C. to start her new job.
Her internship is also with CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper. She researches headlining guests, pitches options for panel guests, and logs interviews on Capitol Hill.
Hosting a Radio Show
Niala Boodhoo is the host and executive producer of her radio show The 21st. Her show airs on Illinois Public Media. Bringing stories from Illinois into conversation, Niala talks about both lighthearted and serious topics.
“Our mission and our vision is to give voice to people that sometimes don’t have a voice and to bring people together,” Niala shared.
Winning human rights awards
Nathan Vanderklippe documented the horrors of Rohingya fleeing the Myanmar military and the historical-political roots of the crisis.
Human rights organization Amnesty International Canada presented Nathan with its 2017 media award for national print journalism.
Shortly after receiving the award in April 2018, Nathan was back in Bangladesh to update the Rohingya exodus story.
Competing on Jeopardy
In 2012, Cathy Giles won two of the three Jeopardy episodes she competed in.
Cathy accredits some of her success to “going to a liberal arts college.” She said that it "helps you out because you study so many different subjects.”
Today, Cathy is using her Calvin English degree and master of science in journalism from Northwestern. After working for two newspapers in New York, she’s now a copy editor at SmartBrief in Washington, D.C.
Winning the Pulitzer Prize
Soon after John Muyskens became a graphics editor for the Washington Post, the Ferguson Unrest brought about his award-winning project.
He and his team built a database to store information about people shot and killed by police. The database is helping to fill a void of information in order to provide a clearer picture.
When John was 23, he and his team won the Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for their work.