In the first event of its kind at Eastern Michigan University, students are invited to learn how to navigate a career in media Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, for an afternoon of workshops, panels and skill building from 1-5 p.m.
Hosted by the Digital Media, Cinema and Journalism program at EMU, any student interested in film, journalism, broadcasting or other area of media is invited. The event will feature panel discussions and a hands-on workshop, with the final panel hosting eight EMU alumni media professionals.
Hosted on the third floor of Halle Library in rooms 300 and 320, the media career day will offer students light snacks and Learning Beyond the Classroom credit.
You Li, area head for the DMCJ program and lead coordinator of Navigating a Career in Media, hopes that the event will help students learn how to plan and pursue their desired career path, help them take advantage of the career resources available to them on campus and give them a chance to network with the EMU media community.
Navigating a Career in Media will take place Oct. 30, 2025, from 1-5 p.m. in Halle Library. The event will consist of panel discussions and a hands-on workshop. (Courtesy of DMCJ at EMU)
Finding internships and jobs in media will be the first panel of the event. Starting at 1 p.m. in Room 300, students will have the opportunity to gain insight from EMU journalism professor You Li, career coach April Calkovsky, digital media advisor Keith Damron and student media advisor for The Eastern Echo and Cellar Roots Christine Uthoff.
Also starting at 1 p.m., but taking place in Room 320, career specialists from the University Advising and Career Development Center will lead an hour-long resume and cover letter workshop. Students attending this part of the event will receive hands-on critiques for their resumes and cover letters. Those planning to participate should bring these documents to the event.
To allow participants to attend both sessions, the jobs panel and hands-on workshop will restart at 2:15 p.m. and be followed by the alumni panel beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Panelists include Aaron Hughes, assistant editor at Newsday; Ronia Cabansag, producer for Michigan Public's Stateside; Alicia Lewis, host of WALB's Town and Country; Ryan Wooley, sports broadcaster and stadium announcer for the Detroit Tigers; Dominic Minchella, reporter at Sports Illustrated; Michael "Ned" Nedwick, afternoon on-air talent and music director at Rock 108 KFMW; Alexis Berent, TV actress; and Alejandro "Jando" Rodriguez, writer and director.
The Navigating a Career in Media event will feature a panel of six EMU alumni actively navigating their own media careers. (Courtesy of DMCJ at EMU)
Uthoff mentioned the valuable insight students can get from the panel, as its members were once EMU students too.
"What you're gonna hear from them are all those secret little steps, things and experiences that they did between the time they took off that cap and gown and the time they came back to share their stories," Uthoff said.
Li hopes that the event will help students put career planning on their radar from early on in their college careers.
"[Students should] start to think about their career interest, focus, and use reverse engineering to design their curriculum," Li said. "What is their dream job? What does that job require, and what skillsets or experience do they need?"
Navigating a Career in Media is free for students who want to participate. Those interested can register for the event by filling out the registration form.
The panel discussions will also be made available virtually through Zoom. Anyone interested in attending the discussions virtually can gain access to the link through the registration form.
If students have questions, comments or concerns about the event, they can contact You Li, professor of journalism at EMU, by emailing her at yli23@emich.edu.
Editor’s note: Christine Uthoff is the student media advisor of the The Eastern Echo and Cellar Roots.
Editor's note: On Oct. 29, 2025, this article was updated to include information from the event's lead coordinator.
