Being a CASL Student
afforded you what opportunities?
Matthew Laurinec:
As a CASL student you have the opportunity to take a variety of different
internships. The entire program works together to place you based on your major,
and you can get experience in a lot of different fields. The resources such as
the Writing Center, and other labs in CASL really helped too. After graduation,
I came to appreciate just the connection to the different professors that I
dealt with on such a personal level (that’s really credit to UM-Dearborn as a
whole, not just CASL). It just seemed like they [the CASL professors] were
always more available. Some of my favorites were Professor Schaefer
(Investigative Reporting), Professor Kiska (Intro and Advanced Journalism),
Professor Gilmore (Video Production/Screen Studies), Professor Ward (Speech).
How did CASL prepare you
for your current career?
ML: I’m currently
the Producer of the Blaine Fowler Morning Show 96.3 WDVD out of the Fisher Building
in Detroit since the fall of 2013. I started with an internship there. I’d already
graduated and I found this internship on my own. What’s great is my degree
really went a long way. The fact that I had a degree in multiple fields made it
something that was a lot more desirable to them. The UM degree carried a lot of
weight in the decision process to bring me on. I got a part time job while
interning and then the producer position opened up. Now I’m fulltime and I’m on
with them every morning. My degree has given me a lot of different aspects of
knowing different parts of the job. For example, I’ve used my PR certificate
for dealing with certain press releases. If articles need to be written I can
use my journalism experience to write it. The wide range of skills I learned
from my degree have helped me be valuable to the company.
Did you always know
that you wanted to major in journalism?
ML: I didn’t
always know. I thought I was going to do teaching. I had a good relationship
with my high school English teacher. But I got into the love of journalism as
my love of Michigan football got me into the press box and on the field. That’s
what turned me onto the idea of being a sports writer. I got involved with the
Michigan Journal on campus writing sports. Then I was the Sports Editor, then
the Editor in Chief and then the Managing Editor. So, as I was moving along the
way with that I found a love for writing.
Do you have any
regrets about selecting a liberal arts field of study?
ML: No. I have no
regrets about choosing this degree. My degree has opened many doors that even
if I decide to leave the radio station I could anywhere and have my degree be
valued.
At first I thought I would not have a job, but I think that
I was prepared that I knew what I had done and that I had earned a Michigan
degree and that eventually it all worked out.
What advice would u
give to current CASL Students who may be undecided if they want to remain in
the Liberal Arts field?
ML: I think in Liberal
Arts you have a vast career path. My focus was print journalism. But after
college, I got into another side of journalism. I thought I was going to write
for a newspaper or sports team. The classes you take in CASL are crossover
classes and you’re forced to be put into situations that will help you in your
career. The degree you’re earning is more valuable than the major you get it
in. It’s got a lot more weight to it.
Try a lot of different things when you first get to CASL.
Also, don’t be afraid to work for free at first. Many people think as soon as they
graduate they need a job paying six figures or else they’ve failed. My friends
may be ahead of me financially. But some of them are also doing things they
hate. I genuinely love going to work because I promised myself I would not work
a 9-5 schedule in a cubicle, but some people get so set on that. Go do what you
want and pursue it and I guarantee you’ll be a lot happier.