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2011 Lower Great Lakes Scholarship Winners
 NICOLE SEPTARIC
I aspire to become a TV Anchor. In this position, I will get the chance to be “famous” and also give back to my community by giving them their daily news.
For a 5th grade assignment, I had to think about what I wanted to be when I grew up. An ambitious child I was, I sat down and listed all of my talents and what I wanted to get out of my career. It all added up to one job: TV Anchor.
As I went through school, I became more and more serious about my chosen career. I was always on the lookout for a jump start on my future. My freshman year of high school, I won an essay contest about the importance of Internet safety hosted by Cox Communications. I was named the Teen Spokesperson for Internet Safety. I attended a Teen Summit on Internet Safety in Washington, DC. I also addressed the head of the FCC about our efforts to make the Internet a safer place for America’s teenagers. When I came home, I had a four-minute sit-down interview on Channel 3 about my experience. This trip solidified my pursuit for a career in Broadcast Journalism.
My high school is fortunate enough to have a career and technical course called Radio and Television Productions. I’ve learned so much from the class. I always experience a large rush when I successfully complete a quality project, especially one I did outside of the classroom. Broadcast Journalism is without a doubt my life’s passion.
Ten years down the road, I see myself graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and working hard for a television station as a field reporter transitioning to the desk. Wherever my career takes me I intend to be successful. I’m an ambitious, passionate, hard-working student and I will carry this attitude with me into the future of Broadcast Journalism.
 MICHAEL WATTS
“Ten, five, touchdown Browns!” Playing the newest edition of the Madden NFL video games series, I found myself trying my hardest to sound like Cleveland Browns radio announcer Jim Donovan. Cleveland-area fans have been lucky to have the Hall of Fame quality broadcasters we have. With Jim Donovan calling Browns games, Tom Hamilton broadcasting for the Indians, and Joe Tait as the radio voice of the Cavaliers, I have always had icons of the broadcasting field to look up to. Ironically, when most kids wanted to be professional athletes for one of their favorite teams, I wanted to be a broadcaster for one of my favorite Cleveland teams.
As a sophomore in high school I reached a crossroad. I was a football player for a program coming off a state championship season. During the offseason I injured my back and sat out most of the lifting program. This gave me the option of trying to catch up with the football offseason program or realizing my dream of broadcasting. The choice was simple. That spring I broadcasted ten baseball games, and by the next fall I was the play by play voice of Wildcat football and soccer.
Broadcasting changed from a hobby to a career option during my junior year. By critiquing each broadcast and working on a series of handwritten “boards” (similar to those used by Mike Emrick of the New Jersey Devils), my broadcasting steadily improved.
Ten years in the future I hope to be broadcasting professionally. I feel that my dedication and efforts to improve will allow me to reach this goal. While jobs in broadcasting may be difficult to find, I would like the option to stay in the sports field in a marketing or media relations role. My previous experience in broadcast journalism and sports information should give me a head start in these areas. In order to reach these goals, I have chosen to attend Fordham University where I feel that I will have a good opportunity to find an internship that will allow me to break into broadcasting or the media relations field.
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To view the letter submitted to advisors with details on the competition,