When Jessica Moulite ’14 was growing up, she didn’t watch cartoons. Instead, she was only allowed to watch the news. She credits this with giving her a lasting interest in journalism and broadcasting, one which she is exploring this summer through an internship with CBS. With funding from the George and Martha Darcy Internship Support Fund, managed by the Career Center, she is working with the CBS Evening News and gaining experience toward a future career in broadcast media.
Moulite’s two primary duties at CBS are logging tape and coordinating scripts. When logging tape she transcribes footage, and producers then read her transcriptions to choose which segments to use on air. In her work on scripts, she updates the information that is being broadcast to make sure that the most recent data appears on air. She also participates in weekly meetings to help decide what material to cover.
Recently, Moulite successfully pitched a story idea about an exhibition on post-traumatic stress disorder in Washington, D.C. And in addition, she and seven other student interns will work together to create a 3-5 minute mock news segment. They will independently complete all aspects of the segment, including writing, filming and editing, which will give them valuable first-hand knowledge of many elements of broadcasting.
Moulite appreciates the skills she has developed at Hamilton, particularly communicating effectively. She commented, “The skills that Hamilton has given me, such as writing well and speaking eloquently, are important.” She’s also found that the diversity of her liberal arts education has enabled her to approach almost any subject. Moulite, who is a communications and women’s studies double major, observed, “I can talk about gender issues, politics, science – I can participate in all of those conversations.” She feels that her time at CBS will help her to build on her abilities from Hamilton and develop additional practical skills. In particular, she’s found that her internship has helped her to take criticism well and work under pressure.
Building on her internship experience, Moulite plans to pursue a career in broadcasting. She hopes to be on the air, delivering either hard news or entertainment news. Moulite asserted, “We need a few more positive people on television, and I think I could be one of those people.” She is also thinking about the future of the news, commenting, “The news has to change with the times. In 20 years, the news will have to be presented in a different way to that people are interested.” She predicts that broadcasters will want to use a mix of fun and hard news. As the world of broadcasting develops, Moulite is sure to build her place in it.
Moulite is a graduate of North Miami Beach Senior High School.
