Thursday, May 9, 2013
It won’t be long before television news viewers begin to recognize Jeanette Rudnicki ’13, whose media skills have already earned her plaudits.
by Susan Cousins Breen
Jeanette Rudnicki ’13, a Communication major with a specialization in Digital Media: TV, Film, and Radio, is in the enviable position of interviewing for two positions in New York City—one as a news associate at CBS and, the second, as a production assistant at SyFy /Chiller Network at NBC Universal. Her goal is become an on-air television reporter.
“If it wasn’t for Rider, I would never have had the hands-on experience of working in a television studio,” says Rudnicki, a Linden, N.J., resident. “Under the guidance of Scott Alboum [video technologies coordinator and Communications professor], I learned by taking on jobs, such as, editing, shooting, producing, and making videos and news segments, at Rider University Network (R.U.N.). These skills helped me get internships, which gave me real-world experience.”
Her internships began with radio promotions at TownSquare Media in Bayville, N.J., and included stints at CBS News in New York with CBS This Morning and CBS Sunday Morning, and a semester with SyFy/Chiller Network, also in Manhattan.
A member of the Leadership Development Program (LDP), Rudnicki has been inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society; received the Howard and Harriet Schwartz Award for Excellence, and is named in Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities. She is president of R.U.N. and the campus chapter of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS). She credits her professors and LDP with keeping her on track professionally, helping her to set and keep goals, and encouraging her to take on leadership roles. “Being involved with R.U.N. and NBS gave me the opportunity to network and build professional relationships.”
Rudnicki has been public relations chair for the Residence Hall Association and a lab assistant in the television studio for three years. A dancer since age 5, Rudnicki is a four-year member of the dance team and dance ensemble, serving as technology chair for the last two years. She also developed an LDP community project that collected items for the Trenton Dog Shelter and worked with Relay for Life and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.
Rudnicki’s desire to be an on-air reporter drives her as does her desire to thank her parents for making college possible by making them proud of her.
“I am building a professional circle through campus, alumni, and ‘real-world’ connections,” Rudnicki said. “And I am confident that I can depend on the members of this circle as I begin my career.”