Opinion
The man behind the Alumni Spotlight: Reflections from reporting this semester’s Alumni Feature
December 7, 2016
It’s been a pretty decent first semester for me, somewhat challenging but equally rewarding. I’m glad that I have the pleasure to write for the Student Voice this year, reporting the Alumni Spotlight every week for almost two months now.
I enjoyed meeting the faculty, staff and administration who were once students like me here at UW-River Falls, and because I was unable to contribute this week, I decided to write a reflection of what I’ve gained from constructing these articles.
Although many of the alumni who I have interviewed over the past semester each have unique interests and memories of attending UWRF, most of them had the same admiration for the school. The small town atmosphere of the campus, the welcoming faculty and the amount of resources and opportunities that are offered to students were the most common factors mentioned during my interviews. Interestingly enough, the alumni who have been featured so far are just a fraction of the many that currently work at the college, so I can assure you that there will be many more articles to come.
Through writing these articles, I’ve been praised by many the alumni that I’ve interviewed, as they not only showcased their individual accomplishments, but also showed the accomplishments of the school as a whole. Whether that be the construction of the Falcon Center, efforts to create sustainability on campus or earning titles in academics and athletics, it demonstrates that a small campus can have big achievements.
On a personal level, I’ve gained plenty of confidence when constructing the feature, finding the best way to connect to the alumni that I interview as well as the readers who take notice. Whenever I give an interview, I always ask the alumnus or alumna who I interview for advice for current students. Through their advice, I've gained a lot of knowledge that has helped me become more successful academically, knowledge that should be shared to all current students.
I want my audience to learn something new out of the story, something they never knew about or could relate to the person in question. I find it’s never a bad thing to always ask someone for advice, because everyday we learn new things that help us become more successful. So like any good writer, I want my work to bring knowledge to the readers, specifically to those currently attending, so that they can use the advice from the students before them to help them succeed after they graduate.
So I would like to personally thank everyone for their feedback, from the alumni that I’ve interviewed, the staff of the Student Voice and everyone who reads my articles.
I look forward to contributing this feature next semester, and I hope that it continues to be beneficial to the school’s faculty and students.
Christopher Jurewitsch is a senior studying Geography and G.I.S. In his free time, he plays guitar, writes essays and poems, and eats ice cream.