Born in Springfield and raised in Nixa, Kathryn Wall planned to use her time at Missouri State as a starting point for her career as a successful journalist. Her expectations were not disappointed. She currently works at the Springfield News-Leader, writing stories about Greene County government.
Kathryn attributes her success to her time at Missouri State. "I got my passion for news reporting [at Missouri State.] I learned valuable career knowledge. Media Ethics was especially valuable to me; I use what I learned in that class every day. Professor Pardue's classes were also a great experience for me. They were challenging at the time, but they prepared me for the job I have today."
Real-world experience through internships and an understanding of media convergence in today's news world were also valuable assets to Kathryn's current success. "The business of reporting is changing to accommodate the variety of outlets people get their news from: from online articles, blogs and even Twitter. Missouri State really did me a favor in teaching media convergence.
In her time at Missouri State, Kathryn also spent time working with The Standard, the on-campus newspaper. Through her time with them, she gained hands-on experience that she uses regularly at the News-Leader.
When asked about her future plans, Kathryn says, "My career goal is to do my best at my job, wherever that happens to be."
