Why I Decided To Become A Journalist

By Chloe Brussard

Growing up, I didn't have that one profession that I knew I wanted to do. I haven't known that I was going to be a journalist since I was 8 years old. It's jumped around from being an FBI agent, to a fashion designer, and even sports announcer. 

Finishing out high school was a complete blur, and so was submitting my college applications. I don't know what prompted me to select journalism as my major. Maybe I subconsciously knew it was what I wanted to do, or if I felt that I had to choose something and chose that.

But since coming to college, I have never doubted my decision for a minute. 

If anything, it has helped convince me more that journalism is something that I need to do. Senior year of high school, I did an Advanced Senior Capstone Research Project where I analyzed the different ways that media is portraying mental health. I looked at scholarly articles, journals, websites, books, movies, TV shows, etc. 

I wasn't extremely shocked at my findings, because I knew that the media has such a powerful hold on everyday people. People believe what the media tells them, whether it is true or not. They trust that the information they are receiving is fact, but don't realize that there is so much bias and misinformation that is being spread around.

Maybe it was then when I realized that I wanted to be a journalist. I knew the hold that the media has on people and I was tired of seeing people abuse the power that they were given. 

It might have been naive of me to think that I could change the world by becoming a reporter, but I feel like it could be seen as being incredibly brave. Who's going to challenge the media? An 20 year old girl from Boston? Probably not, but it's the thought that I could possibly make a difference that keeps me going. 

A few months ago I decided to minor in sports media. Last year I decided that I wanted to minor in something, but I didn't know what. I thought about criminal justice for a while, but ultimately decided that sports media was the route for me.

I grew up playing sports along with my three sisters, and played all through high school. My family has a passion for sports that is unlike anything I've ever seen.

I like watching sports, reading about sports, listening to sports, so why not try my hand at writing about sports?

But before I declared it as a minor, I thought to myself, how can I make a difference as a sports journalist? Then it finally dawned on me -- to be a female in a male dominated field. I could show young girls that sports journalism isn't just a field for men. 

I feel like sports in general are mainly male dominated. Football, mens basketball, mens hockey, etc are all on sports networks at their prime time, while women get the times where there are less viewers, which gives them less exposure. 

Looking back at all the reasons that I wanted to become a journalist, I can confidently say that one of the most important reasons is because my parents always told me to do something that I was passionate about, something that I wanted to do and not something that I had to settle for.

I am so passionate about sports reporting. Dr. Bobby Hayes of HPU's Communications Department, told my class that it's not easy, and you may think that you want to quit every single day. But, he has never regretted his decision to stay in the field. 

I'm not looking for a job that's easy for me to do. I want a profession that I am excited to go to in the morning and that I think about when I go to bed at night.

To me, journalism means inspiring others, and doing what I love. And that's what makes me extremely confident that sports journalism is the place for me.