2019-20 Press Club of Southwest Florida FGCU Endowed Scholarship Student, Lauren Miceli, and Press Club Scholarship Committee member, Linda Leatherbury.
FGCU student Lauren Miceli, and Scholarship Committee member, Linda Leatherbury
Our 2019-20 Press Club of Southwest Florida FGCU Endowed Scholarship Student, Lauren Miceli, and Press Club Scholarship Committee member, Linda Leatherbury, attended the FGCU President’s Scholarship Luncheon at the Hyatt-Coconut Point on Friday, November 15th. The affair was attended by over 500 students and scholarship representatives.
Leatherbury asked Miceli some questions, and Miceli answered.
• What has the PCSWFL scholarship meant to you?
The PCSWFL scholarship has offered me a lot of relief this semester. Over the last few months, my family has experienced financial hardships that normally had never been an issue for us. I greatly appreciate the help from the PCSWFL because I don’t have to worry so much about how my college education will be funded. Also, having more money available has encouraged me to look into taking a photography class next semester. Finally, being selected made me feel as if I am capable of achieving my goals regarding journalism.
• What areas of journalism are you interested in pursuing?
I love writing. I love writing about controversial issues, and I would greatly enjoy pursuing a career in investigative journalism. I’m more interested in covering hard news than anything else. I also like working with audio now.
• What appeals to you about sports writing and investigative journalism?
I haven’t officially written about sports, but I love football, soccer and now volleyball. Sports is one topic a large number of people know about and enjoy, so I think it is nice to have something like sports to read about when everything else in the world is so chaotic.
I have a an associate degree in criminal justice, so investigative journalism always appealed to me. As an avid Supergirl and Spider-Man fan since I was a toddler, I loved the concept of helping people. It has always been my goal to expose corruption and inspire change. As a child, I dreamed of one day waking up with superpowers, but as an adult I realized how much power the press has. They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but it’s maybe even mightier than a cape.
• What internships have you had as a student at FGCU?
I am currently Lyn Millner’s intern, and I am helping her produce a podcast about cults. Also, I am a TA for Lindsey Sablan. She is a morning news anchor at WINK News and teaches one lab section of Millner’s News Literacy course at FGCU.
• Please provide details about the podcast you’ve been working on.
The podcast will take listeners through various stories of people who have been impacted by cultist groups. It discusses different aspects of cult-like thinking, and it was inspired by Millner’s book, “The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet.” I help Millner brainstorm ideas, conduct interviews, edit audio, and whatever else she tells me to do, which involves setting up interviews and sending e-mails.
• When will you graduate? What are your plans after graduation?
I should be graduating in May 2020. Right now, I am working at WINK News. I do production work, which involves operating cameras, working the prompter for the anchors, and eventually working with audio and visuals for the live shows. I plan to stay in Southwest Florida for at least a year after graduation, and hopefully I can try my hand at freelancing. I also want to apply to MIT’s science writing program for the fall 2021 semester. I don’t believe I will be accepted, but I still want to apply for the sake of applying.