Ryan Jaeckel
CONTRIBUTOR
Since our inception in 1913, the Gateway has been University of Nebraska at Omaha students’ number one source for news and events on their campus.
Over our 106-year history, the Gateway has covered events from the Maverick athletics decision to move all sports to Division I; the opening of Baxter Arena with Maverick Hockey; a special visit from former President Barack Obama; the retirement of former UNO Chancellor John E. Christensen; and the Chuck Hagel Forum in Global Leadership featuring the 47th Vice President Joe Biden.
By covering these prestigious events, UNO students, as contributors and editors of the Gateway, have gained experience to help them in their careers. Take Sophie Ford for example, a former Gateway editor and current employee at Emspace and Lovegren.
“The Gateway helped a lot,” Ford said. “I went from copy editor to business editor to editor in chief. The leadership experience looks good on a resume.”
For Nick Beaulieu, a former editor and current employee at Sojern, gaining the leadership experience was one thing, but it was also about learning from mistakes.
“The Gateway gave a platform for learning from mistakes such as misspelled names or fact checking,” Beaulieu said. “This helped me prepare for both good and bad criticism a lot.”
For others, it’s about building their portfolios, like current editor-in-chief Jessica Wade, who interns at HDR and will intern for The Omaha World Herald when she graduates this May.
“Getting my portfolio together from writing articles has made it easier to get internships through the work I’ve done,” Wade said. “At the same time, you are able to make connections with potential employers and professionals.”
All three, Ford, Beaulieu and Wade, said the reason why they decided to become members of the Gateway was getting involved on campus. For Ford, it was growing her involvement. Beaulieu’s reason was the interest on covering stories about UNO students that wouldn’t be covered through “normal” media outlets. Wade decided to join to not only get involved but get real world experience.
If you’re a current or prospective student looking to get involved and have thought about writing, Ford, Beaulieu and Wade all agree that you should.
“You definitely should,” Ford said. “It’s a great way to get experience if you are going into the communication field.”
“Just go out and do it,” Wade said. “It can be nerve-wracking at first, but will become empowering. The more you do, the more you will be comfortable doing it.”
If you’re afraid of making mistakes, Wade said: “We are all students and were beginners. We have never turned an article away for being poorly written.”
For those that are already members of the Gateway staff, Beaulieu gives some advice.
“Stay committed to telling UNO stories,” he said. “You will see the most success when covering UNO stories thoroughly.”
Beaulieu said to not be afraid to experiment.
“Do a series,” he said. “Do a longer feature for online. Writers will get more experience doing their own stories.”
The Gateway has been a huge stepping stone for its members, and to celebrate we will be having an awards banquet titled A Celebration of Local Journalism on April 27 at the CPACS Commons Room 132D. Tickets will be $10 for alumni and adults, or $5 for students and youth (17 and under).
For current or prospective students interested in becoming a member, you can email editorincheif@unothegateway.com.
