Natasha Vukelic

Date of graduation: December, 2005
Employer: WCHL
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Job Title: News Director
Carolina Week Title: Reporter
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Carolina Week Testimonial: Now, almost two years after graduation, I realize that the Carolina Week newsroom, as scary as it seemed at first, was the best training grounds for which anyone could ever ask (and I've made a point to mention that in every job interview since graduation).

After I got over my jitters, I eventually went back, found my niche, and found out that newsrooms are as intimidating as you make them. Then the learning process started: Scheduling interviews, shooting video, writing, writing , writing … editing, and trying to convince everyone to give me an extra :30 seconds for all my packages (which most of the time, they convinced me to cut off an extra :30).

A full semester after I was actively involved in Carolina Week I was sitting in the newsroom one day, when the ‘Curtis Fellowship’ came up. This is what the fellowship is basically all about: if you have an idea that is legitimate, and you think you're capable of reporting on this idea from beginning to end, the fellowship is your chance to do it, and do it well.

The same day the fellowship was mentioned, I walked into Dr. T’s office and said, “I want to do this fellowship … but I don’t even know where to start.”

Less than four months later, after extensive research, and a solid proposal, I found myself in Malawi, Africa. I traveled to Malawi with a fellow Carolina Weeker and good friend. I don't know how to explain that experience to anyone. To sum it up, I have always said, Africa was the best thing I ever did for myself and my career. I developed a true passion for reporting. To give an example: one of the stories we covered was "Street Kids." Kids who basically live on the streets because they have no parents (most of the time their parents are dead because of AIDS). The story involved a little girl: Margaret. She was 10-years-old, had already been raped three times, tested positive for three STDs. To this day, I will never forget how carefree that little girl appeared, despite tragedies that most people could never even fathom

I came back from Africa, with more than 20 tapes full of footage, interviews, etc. I guarded those tapes like a first-born child when I traveled back home.

Now, this is exactly what appears on my resume:
Reporter in Malawi, Africa
UNC-Chapel Hill Fellowship, Summer 2005
Report earned:
- Top 3 nationally for ‘TV Feature’ by the Broadcast Education Association
- 1st Place regionally for ‘TV Feature’ and ‘General Hard News Reporting’ by the Society of Professional Journalists
- Top 3 nationally for ‘TV Feature’ and ‘General Hard News Reporting’ by the Society of Professional Journalists

When I first entered the CW newsroom, I thought I would never learn, but once I mastered it, just like our professional and loved golfer Tiger, I nailed it. I have a far ways to go in broadcast, I make more mistakes than I could ever count. However, if it weren't for CW, and all the experience the program taught me, I wouldn't even be in the game, in fact, I wouldn't have had the courage to make it through the front door.