Madison Pait is a senior at Western Carolina University majoring in communication with a concentration in broadcasting and minoring in hospitality and tourism management. She chose communication as her major because she wants to connect and help others in the community to share their voice and their information. She chose her minor because she has an interest in traveling the world through work.
A notable part of Pait’s time in the communication program has been her involvement with the Western Carolina Journalist (WCJ).
“It’s been great!” exclaimed Pait. “You meet great people and learn from some of the best journalism students.”
Pait first heard about WCJ through a class with Dr. Katerina Spasovska and then joined in the Fall of 2022. Currently, she works as the community editor to oversee and edit stories that relate to Western, as well as stay up to date on events and new happenings surrounding WCU.
As the community editor, Pait enjoys learning how people write differently than herself, and this has helped expand her writing skills.
“It’s great talking to students and learning from one another,” she said.
Outside of WCU, Pait had two articles published in The Sylva Herald the week of the Feb. 13 edition; “TDAs Breedlove looking toward 2023 priorities” and “Communication contract renewal gets OK.” According to Pait, these articles regard inmate communication in Jackson Co. detention centers and new updates from the Tourism Development Authority (TDA).
Pait felt inspired to write these stories because “the public may not be aware of how inmates communicate to their loved ones: video chat, text messaging, GIFs, etc., and TDA offered numbers on tourism that affect the locals and new ad campaigns,” she said.
Moreover, Pait plans on writing more articles based on her positive experience with The Sylva Herald.
Lastly, Pait encourages students interested in news and sharing stories to join WCJ, as they can gain experience on how to accurately approach their audience and improve their skills.
“Learn the tools without the stress of a grade!” she said.
Students can join WCJ through Engage. They can also reach out to the head editor, Saydie Bean at sebean2@catamount.wcu.edu.