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“When I worked as a reporter,
being honest and truthful in the reporting was a vital
must." |
Looking back
on her Huntington education, Kristen (Freeman) Garcia says she
felt prepared for anything in the fields of broadcasting, radio,
and television after graduating in 2002. As it turns out, she
was prepared for a lot more than that.
A native of
Crawfordsville, Indiana, Kristen graduated with a degree in
media communications and an emphasis in broadcasting. But after
graduation, she worked as a news reporter and photographer for
two years. And today she now uses her communication skills to
serve the public as a health information officer in northern
Indiana. She also dabbles in professional photography as part
of Zeta Alpha Studios.
Kristen’s
journalism career began to bud during her junior year at
Huntington after writing a simple story that caught the eye of
the Roanoke News editor. At the time, Kristen was working as
the “PR chick” of the Forester baseball team and had written a
story about player Jerry Kaufman’s PRIME ministry experience in
Australia. Her story landed her an internship at Roanoke News.
The internship later grew into a part-time job and eventually a
full-time position after graduation.
“Because of
that internship, my life hasn’t been the same and I wouldn’t be
the Christian, or reporter, or person even, I am today if it
wasn’t for the amazing wisdom of God putting me there,” Kristen
says.
Kristen worked
as a reporter and photographer at the Roanoke News until
November of 2002, when she was hired by The Goshen News.
There she worked as a general assignment reporter and
photographer, covering everything from school boards, business,
health, government, and the Elkhart County Superior Court 3 on criminal
days.
It was as a
reporter that Kristen’s faith became crucial to her profession.
“When I worked as a reporter, being honest and truthful in the
reporting was a vital must,” she says. “When working areas that
were ridden with controversy, it was of utmost importance to be
honest and present both sides of the situation with as little
bias as possible.
“You have to be
walking in the stride of Jesus in every aspect of life to be a
reporter, as with any other job whether it be a mechanic, fast
food worker, or a student or professor,” Kristen adds.
Her commitment
to honesty in reporting paid off professionally. While at the
Roanoke News, Kristen and her editor won an award for clarity
and truth in reporting, beating out larger metropolitan daily
papers for the honor.
In July of
2004, Kristen left her reporting career to take a different type
of communication position as a Field Public Information Officer for the
Indiana State Department of Health. The position is one of many
new roles created by the state with the help of federal
bioterrorism preparedness grants.
Kristen now
travels constantly across northern Indiana, serving 18 counties
in northern Indiana. She works with local county health
departments to create crisis emergency risk communication plans
for public health emergencies. She also trains spokespeople for
both counties and local hospitals and can act as an information
liaison for the local health departments and hospitals in a
public health emergency with county homeland security offices
(formerly Emergency Management), law enforcement and para-health
organizations.
While Kristen
plays a large role in helping Indiana’s health departments, it
was by attending a small university that gave her the chance to
build relationships with professors and to have easy access to
the latest in media equipment and technology.
“Keeping the
classes small gave us the time to start on the equipment early
in our education at Huntington and work with the upgrades as
they came out,” she says. “It gives students almost four years
of experience by the time they leave the University, where
students at larger universities would only have one or two years
experience.”
For students
interested in media communications at Huntington, Kristen offers
sound advice. “When comparing classes and resources at various
schools, look at the time you get to spend on the programs and
on the air at their schools. Look at the resumes of the
professors and see what kind of real-world experience they have
in and out of Christian media. Huntington has professors with a
lot of outside classroom experience and a lot of top resources,
like the AVID equipment and the radio broadcasting equipment.
By being on of the first ever LPFM stations in the country and
by having the most up-to-date software, students will be able to
leave the University with an excellent background.”
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