How do you begin a career in the exciting field of television
journalism? Just ask Mara Montalbano ‘04CPS. This College of
Professional Studies alumna was among the first
reporters/anchors hired for the NY1 segment “Staten Island News
Now.” As a Staten Island news reporter, Mara is the person
responsible for breaking hundreds of news stories to Staten Island
residents about topics ranging from politics to the arts. Mara says
her education from St. John’s prepared her for this role, “I
learned from my professors at St. John’s, who worked in the
industry, how the business of television works and what trends to
look for in programming.”
As a graduate of the
mass communication program at St. John’s Staten Island
campus, Mara believes she benefited greatly from the
relationships she established with her professors: “The small class
sizes allowed me to have more time to talk to teachers and
department heads about the classes I should take. Since many of
them worked in the industry, I was able to get first-hand knowledge
of what to expect from potential jobs and the job market.”
Mara also credits St. John’s for helping her attain the
internship that paved the way to her successful career: “St.
John’s helped me get an internship with a Time Warner Cable news
station, which gave me experience in an actual newsroom. That
experience led to a freelance news reporter position while I was
still in college and, ultimately, my first job out of college as a
reporter for a start-up local unit with a major communications
company.” Mara had always planned to work in television, but
originally hoped to become a television talk show host. After
interning for the Ricki Lake show, she had a sudden change of
plans: “I was hoping to get into talk shows, but half-way through
the internship I realized this wasn’t what I wanted to do with my
life. I had to figure out a new course of action and ended up
trying an internship in news – and liking it very much.”
One of the most important lessons Mara took away with her from
St. John’s is to live out the Vincentian mission of the
University: “Part of my job is to hold people accountable for their
actions. Whether it is an irresponsible landlord, the city, a drunk
driver or anyone who ignores the well-being of someone else, it is
part of my job to expose that. It doesn’t always change the
situation, but it can help a food pantry get some extra donations,
or get people to really think about their actions and how it might
affect others.” Mara continues to live out the Vincentian mission
by helping those in need by volunteering and participating in
graffiti cleanups throughout Staten Island.
“My advice to students who are looking to pursue a career right
after college is to intern. It’s the only way to ‘try a career on
for size.’ It gets your foot in the door, gives you a first-hand
look at what the company/industry is all about and it comes in
handy when you need recommendations. You will be one of the first
people a company looks at when trying to fill entry level
positions.”