News & Media

Chicago Scribes

Ohio Wesleyan Students Study Journalism, Writing in the Windy City

Name: Maddie Matos ’21
Majors: Journalism and History
Hometown: Gahanna, Ohio
Experience: Matos and seven other students from the OWU Department of Journalism and Communication traveled to Chicago this month, where they attended an editorial meeting at the Chicago Tribune, met with journalism alumnus Matt Cohen ’16, and visited the American Writers Museum.

Other students who participated in the trip included: Aleksei Pavloff ’18, Alanna Henderson ’18, Liz Hardaway ’18, Gopika Nair ’18, Adedayo Akinmadeyemi ’19, Reilly Wright ’20, and Shay Manuela ’21. Faculty members Paul Kostyu and TC Brown accompanied students on the trip, designed to link classroom theory with real-world practice. 

Lessons learned: “I chose this experience for many reasons. I’m a journalism major and wanted to meet some of the people in my department. I also was interested in seeing a real newsroom and how it functions, and being able to see a major paper’s newsroom was really insightful. ...

“I have wanted to work at a newspaper for years now, and seeing one in person really [reinforced] that for me. Although it is more competitive in the journalism world to become a newspaper reporter, I still want to do it, and I think the Tribune is a great example of a paper that is popular both online and in print.

“I learned that journalism is very quickfire. Each story matters that day because it will only happen on that day. No single day is the same in our world, and being able to report on the top issues of the day was really emphasized to us in class and in the newsroom. Being in Chicago and the Tribune also showed me the difference between big city reporting and small town reporting. ...

“I think that these experiences matter for any major because you can learn anything in a classroom, but being able to experience it in person is a new lesson and one that cannot always be given by a professor.”

Why I chose Ohio Wesleyan: “I chose OWU because I knew [it] would be able to provide opportunities such as this trip so I can practice my studies while I learn.” 

My plans after graduation: “Become a reporter.”