‘18 JOUR and TCOM alumna Elizabeth Wyman has always been a storyteller. From working long nights with the Daily News team to traveling to the Olympics, sports have always been a guiding passion she lived by. Fast forward to 2020, and she is the current coordinator of collegiate partnerships with the United State Olympic and Paralympic Committee. We sat down with her to discuss how her time at Ball State set her up for success.
Writer: Caitlen Ramey, Department of Journalism Student • Interviewer: Any Ung, ’19 Telecommunications grad • Video: Ball State UMS & Rachel East, Telecommunications Student
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What kind of student were you at Ball State?
Like many other students, I was in my shell those first few months of college trying to navigate campus, classes and my new found independence. I wanted to get involved and make connections with peers which is why I joined student media early on. I have always been a natural leader and CCIM only enhanced that by providing the tools for me to succeed.
Did you have a favorite place on campus?
I spent many days, evenings and nights in the Unified Media Lab working with the Daily News. It was one of my favorite (sometimes least favorite) places to be on campus. The classroom can teach you how to write but involvement in student media really allows you to put those skills to work.
Looking back, what is one of your best memories from Ball State?
I was very involved in student media and immersive learning projects throughout my time at Ball State. One of my favorite immersive learning opportunities was BSU at the Games. I travelled to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with about 20 other students of all different majors. We were there for about 3 weeks and wrote stories about the culture and the games. Then in 2018, Ball State partnered with Team USA and a smaller group of Journalism students traveled to the winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea to report on the games. We were given full media credentials and during the time we were freelancing for publications throughout the country. It was really cool, no one knew we were students and we had the same opportunities to write stories, interview athletes and take photos like journalists from Time Magazine or Sports Illustrated.
Immersive learning really made an impact on where I am today. The experiences got me out of the classroom and into new communities and new countries. Without these experiences and CCIM, I don’t know where I would be today.
Is there a professor that made an impact on you?
CCIM really wants you to succeed and the faculty really care about you as well. Looking back at my college experience, there are so many professors that I would thank for providing me with the knowledge and tools but one that sticks out is Ryan Sparrow from the Department of Journalism. Ryan was our professor that really made BSU at the Games happen. He really taught me to do what I love and to get out there and do what I love in other parts of the world.
If you could go back and give advice to your freshman self, what would you tell her?
I would tell her that she doesn’t know everything, she might know a lot of things at some point but it comes with time. Your experiences aren’t always going to be easy and you’re going to have to go through some hard things to figure it out but you’ll get there and you’ll be happy with the outcome.
Four years is not a long time but I really am thankful for the experiences I had during my time at Ball State. From the relationships I made with professors and peers to traveling to two different Olympic games, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for these experiences and the tools CCIM gave me to succeed.
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