Soaring Beyond: Blessing Wokocha

MEET BLESSING! A Journalism alumnus who is currently working at  the Associate Producer at FOX 4 News

We asked Blessing some questions about her plans for graduation, advice for current students, and how UNT helped her to succeed and SOAR BEYOND!

When you started at UNT, what were your plans after graduation? How have these plans changed (if at all)? My plans were to get a job reporting and it happened two months after graduating.

What advice do you have for prospective or current students as they decide what they want their next steps to be (internships/careers/etc.)? If you want to work in broadcast journalism, try to get in a newsroom or newsroom-like environment so you can have a sense of what to expect. My News Practicum class was very beneficial since I didn’t get an internship in tv news but I utilized other opportunities through UNT and the career center: job shadowing at the Denton Record-Chronicle during Christmas Break and Media Intern for the Dallas Police Department during Summer Vacation.

How did your program at UNT help you to feel prepared for this role? The News Practicum class with Professor Nann Goplerud and my other broadcasting classes helped tremendously! It was like working in a newsroom.

How did you find your current role (website, email, word of mouth, etc)? Professor Nann Goplerud

What was the toughest interview question they asked you? Questions about the future because who knows what the future holds. I went from reporting in Market 131 in Amarillo to Associate Producer in Market 5 in Dallas, so who knows what’s next?

How did the Career Center help you? I worked at the Career Center as a Peer Advisor until I graduated so I had access to great resources: Business Cards, Etiquette Dinners, Job Shadowing, Interview Prep and Resume Critiques. Being able to help fellow students also helped me and prepared me for the real world because I learned what not to do. I also had direct access to my personal Career Advisors, like Shay Youngblood because we worked in the same suite. Shay got me connected to a Dallas anchor who helped me negotiate a benefit for my first job offer.

Would you like to be featured in our Soaring Beyond Success Series? Email Jeanette Hickl. We’d love to share your story!

By Jeanette Hickl
Jeanette Hickl