Marisa Sardonia is a senior at East Tennessee State University majoring in media and communication. She is set to graduate this spring.
She was recently recommended to and completed the competitive Journalism Academy, hosted by The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville. At the state capital, she had sessions with investigative reporters, met with editors and networked with some of the South’s best reporters over a three-day period.
At ETSU, she’s worked for the East Tennessean, the student newspaper. She has likewise played a leadership role in “Overlooked in Appalachia,” a student-driven publication that highlights key – and often ignored – issues in the area.
And she is enjoying real-world learning thanks to an internship with WJHL.
“Marisa is an example of why our students are so great. She is someone who has taken advantage of many of the opportunities in our department and grown personally and professionally as a result. Marisa has emerged as a leader in the Department of Media and Communication who will no doubt continue to excel after graduation. I am moved by her critical and gracious engagement with the world,” said Shara K. Lange, professor and acting chair of the department.
“I feel really lucky for ETSU’s Media and Communication Department because I feel like if I had gone to a bigger school, with a bigger journalism department, I would not have gotten as much of a personal look and relationship with the professors and faculty,” Sardonia said. “They have elevated me and given me opportunities that, otherwise, I would not have had. I don’t think I could have achieved all of this outside of ETSU.”