Defining Moments

I remember my sophomore year of college. I was a public relations major at the time, and my big sister in my sorority had invited me to go with her on a “field trip” that her PR class was taking to Atlanta.  They were visiting several different PR firms in…

Darrell Clayton Hammond used to perform impressions at home because it made his mother happy. He’d perform for students at a bar in Gainesville, often making them laugh. But the biggest gig of his life was a 14-year stint as a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” where he…

Solomon is the former sports editor of The Washington Post and the first ombudsman for ESPN. He currently serves as director of the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland and continues to write a weekly Sunday column for the Post. Solomon has received many honors…

Joe Carew gazed south out of his office window. On the horizon, 30,000 feet below him, the sun was setting over the Dardanelles. He saw the thin body of water that divided Turkey across two continents—on the one side, Europe, the other Asia—and thought about the events of the Trojan…

We begin with baseball. With an impressionable 12-year-old boy at Tampa’s Al Lopez Field to watch a Cincinnati Reds spring training game circa 1972. The hits and catches and strikes and outs are unimportant to him. His eyes are on the bleachers. There, nailed into the flat metal rows, was…

Before Rico Pasqualini was the president of the world’s leading backpack maker, he was a public relations student at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. Much has changed in his life between then and now, but one aspect remains the same: At both the CJC and JanSport,…

It all started when he picked up a film camera for a class assignment. This simple task sparked the defining moment that would set the tone for Jerry Ketcham’s successful film career. “I was able to write, direct and edit my little film. When it was completed, I projected it…

Perched in his Los Angeles kitchen is one of Rich Preuss’ most prized possessions, the 1995 Most Valuable Player Award, a recognition he received while working as a production student at WUFT-TV. Now he can add another prestigious award to his collection – a 2017 Primetime Emmy Award. Preuss, a…

The idea of being a sportscaster always appealed to Rick Stern. He knew it might be a long shot, but was willing to give it a try. He became a Telecommunication major, took the required classes and even sought advice and direction from his instructor and trusted advisor, Dr. Sid…

Angela Buonocore always loved writing but, like many freshly minted graduates, was not quite sure what she wanted to do with her life.  As it turns out, she quickly found her calling. Angela, who retired from corporate life in December 2014, is a former member of the Public Relations Advisory…

A passion for storytelling combined with early hands-on experience inspired Craig Heyl to pursue a career in video production. Along the way, Heyl has been a news editor, video producer, Turner Broadcasting senior vice president, Georgia State University professor and now he is working with team at Pinewood Studios in…

In 1985, Yvette Miley came to CJC to get her hands dirty. She had one goal: become immersed in broadcasting. On her third day on campus, she volunteered for WRUF-AM. There, Miley found her passion. So much so that she soon quit going to class, lost her scholarship and almost…