Sharp clicks of the camera, bright lights in the anchor studio and continuous typing in the newsroom. As a do-it-all broadcaster and journalist, one Maverick graduate’s love for uncovering new stories never seems to cease. Known as the former Unbranded Executive Producer, The Charge staff photographer and writer and Class of 2024 graduate, Isabelle Smith is a sophomore at the University of North Texas, eager to keep pursuing her long-lasting passion for broadcast journalism. Rummaging through her memories of high school years and reflecting on her newfound experience at college, Smith shared many college insights and feedback for current Mavericks.
Over her two years of college, Smith has stayed committed to her major as well as discovered a new opportunity to expand her studies.
“I am currently a student at the University of North Texas, studying broadcast journalism with a minor in marketing. Right now, I’m also at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England, studying business marketing over here for a semester,” Smith said. “I’ve always wanted to live abroad. I think it’s really important to understand different cultures, and I also have a family up in London, which is about two hours away from Birmingham.”
Transferring her experience from Unbranded and The Charge, Smith set her sights on joining the broadcast program and opening up more opportunities in her journey at North Texas.
“I’m involved with North Texas TV (NTTV). So, getting the opportunity to do that, I’m literally always in the office,” Smith said. “My peers in that program are some of my favorite people ever. I am also in what is called the Associates Program. So, I am kind of a step away from the paid staff positions that are normally reserved for upperclassmen. We are there to be a point of contact for every other volunteer in the program and help out.”
Smith credits her skills built over the years back in Unbranded for carrying her to the current experience at NTTV.
“I can definitely say that Emerson and the Unbranded [taught] me a lot, in terms of professionalism, how to present myself on air and just [having] that confidence to take on those leadership positions early,” Smith said.
Through her professional growth and newly acquired skills, Smith looks forward to building her experiences and ultimately pursuing a career in the media fields.
“My future goals are mainly to either work as a broadcast journalist or in marketing, specifically in food marketing,” Smith said. “I’m gonna be taking a production class soon so [that] I can learn how to be like a news producer and continue to work with NTTV, [as well as] applying to an internship at Fox [News] pretty soon.”
Although she felt invigorated about the opportunity to boost her broadcasting and journalism skills, college also came with fresh challenges and uphill battles, ones that she didn’t undergo back in high school.
“College really did test me a lot in terms of ambition and putting myself out there,” Smith said. “Emerson was a little bit of a smaller school. A lot of us knew each other, but college is a lot bigger. So, you really have to put yourself in a position [to get to] where you want to be, because if you don’t, there is somebody else that could easily swoop in and take that position.”
She described how being part of the first Emerson senior class led to some tricky transitions once she started college.
“It was so weird going from Emerson where my class was the first graduating class, and we were always the oldest kids in the school,” Smith said. “It was really weird going from that to college where people had a lot more seniority than you. But at the same time, when people see ambitious freshmen who are willing to do the work and willing to be involved, that already sets you up for when you are an upperclassman.”
To current Mavericks forging ahead in their high school career, Smith shares a word of advice that will serve them in the coming years.
“Understand what you want to get involved in. If you are sitting in your dorm doing absolutely nothing on the weekends, college is just gonna stink,” Smith said. “You are getting your first taste of independence. You’re getting your first taste of freedom, but you’re also dipping your toes into your chosen profession. So, I always recommend once you know or have narrowed down what universities you want to go to, look at things you can get involved in and things you can do, even if you have to wait, obviously, until you get there.”
Moreover, for those who aspire to pursue broadcasting or journalism, Smith imparts her thoughtful guidance drawn from her experiences.
“For my lovely broadcasting people, if you want to study journalism in college, my biggest thing I can say is get comfortable talking to people,” Smith said. “Get comfortable [with] public speaking and emailing skills. Never be afraid to keep learning … [and] keep growing. Say yes to whatever opportunity comes your way because those are going to be your coolest experiences.”
