While completing a two-month journalism fellowship in Arizona the summer after her college graduation, Anna Huntsman, ’19, found herself nostalgic for Ohio.
“I was around a lot of people from all across the country,†she remembers. “They would ask me, ‘What’s so special about Ohio?’ and I would have this answer about the camaraderie, the sports, the work ethic. I just found myself having these answers of really missing my home.â€
Huntsman, who majored in journalism and was a member of Kent State’s Honors College, landed a job at Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland a few short months later. Four years later, she hasn’t looked back.
“I never expected that I would get a job in Cleveland when I graduated, but it has only made me want to stay here now.â€
Ideastream Public Media is Northeast Ohio’s largest publicly supported media organization and serves 3.6 million people. Huntsman covers the Akron/Canton region as a reporter/producer. Being part of a large organization has also given her big opportunities: like being part of moderating Akron’s mayoral debate and serving as a fill-in host on The Sound of Ideas.
“My Â鶹¾«Ñ¡experience was absolutely wonderful,†Huntsman says. “I was able to be involved with Student Media, including TV2. This allowed me to have hands-on experience while I was still in college, and I think that definitely helped me get my job here at Ideastream. As someone who grew up in Northeast Ohio, it’s an honor every day that I get to cover (the region) and be at the station I grew up watching.â€
This semester, Huntsman is sharing her knowledge with students in the School of Media and Journalism as an adjunct professor. She is teaching Audio Storytelling & Podcasting, a hands-on course that introduces students to writing, producing and editing stories for audio.
