Brooke Nevins
Journalism
Class of 2021
How are you using the skills that you learned at Moody in your current position?
All of my journalism classes that covered the hard skills of storybuilding, lede writing, interviewing, photography and more were rigorous and put me out of my comfort zone in all the ways necessary to equip me for the everchanging and often unexpected challenges of the “real world!” Something I loved about my journalism classes and student media at Moody is the fact that student journalists are treated as journalists! In any career post-grad, there can be imposter syndrome but UT J-school professors pushed me to see that I was just as capable of hard-hitting and valuable stories then as I am as a full-time reporter now.
How do you practice self care as a reporter?
As a journalist, what happens in the world and to other people is, in a sense, “my business,” so it’s especially hard sometimes to not feel responsible for needing to know about or cover everything going on. It’s a huge privilege to get to listen to and tell other people’s stories through writing, but because it is such an interpersonal job and get can weighty, it’s extra important for me to intentionally put the phone or laptop down, keep the world out for a little while, and focus on my incredible friendships around me. Living in the Rocky Mountains and being able to get out in nature, paddleboard or hike after work definitely doesn’t hurt, either!! Being intentional with filling your life with beauty, especially when you’re a reporter exposed to some not-so-great things, is so important.
Were you in any student orgs or involved with TSM?
I covered the Longhorns’ cross-country and track and field teams for The Daily Texan for a year, and also participated with TSTV’s College Press Box and Gameday shows in college. While I realized I didn’t want to cover sports as a reporter, I gained an enormous amount of hard skills that I use to this day. The student paper gave me a taste of newsroom culture and helped sharpen the writing skills I was learning in class, and TSTV introduced me to the world of broadcast media. I also found out that I was better suited to being behind the camera (haha), but it also helped diversify my skills/experience. I always tell people, it’s just as important to know what you don’t want to do as knowing what you do want to do. Each new experience helps you learn more about yourself and how you do want to apply your skills, and will definitely open up new opportunities you didn’t even know existed! In talking with other reporters who came from colleges all over the country, most of them are amazed to hear about the level of production and number of opportunities available to Texas Moody students through student media.
What I wanted to do in life during my freshman year looked very different than what I ended up doing, and it’s all thanks to the connections I made and seeking out opportunities that showed me what I did or didn’t enjoy.
What have you learned so far from being a reporter?
As a reporter, I’ve learned just how important local journalism is to the health and vitality of small towns and the communities within larger cities. In college, I felt pressure to feel like I needed to immediately be good at anything I tried, and that simply isn’t how life works, or how I learned! I also compared myself to people I saw going to big publications, but now I know I wouldn’t trade the few years of “shoe leather” journalism for anything. Jumping in too quick into big markets may mean missing out on the ability to make mistakes and come out of it with more experience and wisdom. I’ve learned so much from the stories I get to tell within a community, and if the press is holding small communities accountable, our country overall is stronger.
What advice do you have for #TEXASMoody students?
Being in any communications, especially journalism, you’re going to be getting out and talking to so many people. Use it as an opportunity to learn from all the different kinds of people there are in Austin and on campus, and embrace getting out of your comfort zone! Most people you meet are happy to help you, so keep an open mind to new opportunities. What I wanted to do in life during my freshman year looked very different than what I ended up doing, and it’s all thanks to the connections I made and seeking out opportunities that showed me what I did or didn’t enjoy. Also, the part about being confident as a student journalist that I said above! You belong in the room and can do just as valuable storytelling as you can as a full-time reporter.
What do you miss most about Moody College?
I miss the collaboration with my classmates – so many people in one room who can bring different backgrounds, interests and skills to the table. I experienced a lot of comradery in J-School and I was pushed by the ideas and drive of my peers all the time.
Can you talk about your career path?
After graduating, I actually moved back to my hometown and worked as a reporter for my local paper that I had grown up reading, the Fredericksburg Standard. A lot of my internship opportunities had been cancelled when Covid-19 hit at the end of my junior year, so this job ended up being crucial to learning just how important local journalism is to America as well as preparing me for the job I have now. I’ve worked as a morning breaking news reporter, then county government reporter, at The Gazette for over a year now. My goal is to blend my International Relations degree and my love for writing as a foreign correspondent, national security and defense reporter or work for a non-governmental organization.
What classes/professors helped the most? Were there any words of wisdom from professors that you use at your job today?
During college, I actually was not sure I wanted to be a journalist at all. By the beginning of my senior year, I had some incredible professors at Moody who not only shared wisdom, but simply had careers and stories of their own that inspired me. Kevin Robbins was both my sports journalism and narrative journalism professor, and he had a profound impact on my development. I remember he told my class that by the middle or so of the semester, he wanted to be able to know who wrote which story without reading the name at the top of the assignment – basically, he encouraged me to “find my voice” that distinguishes me as a writer and use it, not hide it, when reporting. I also remember he came to one of the Daily Texan sports meetings – the first time I had met Kevin – and told us that anyone we report on, especially famous athletes at UT, were just people, and that we had every right to be in the room as they did. I still remember that when I’m nervous to interview someone. This is one of those “weighty” moments, but Kevin’s words talking about his own experience reporting on the Columbine mass shooting, and how he sought to respect the victims’ needs before getting the breaking story, stuck with me every day that I had to report on the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19, 2022. Retired professor Tracy Dahlby, who taught my Reporting the World class, did a great deal to help me see my place in the world and my own cultural biases when thinking about reporting abroad.
Do you have a favorite project you worked on at your job?
During my time at the Fredericksburg Standard, I got to fly a small plane as part of my reporting for a story! I wouldn’t call it a project, but last year I did get to spend the day with Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” She was lovely and that is also one of my family’s favorite movies of all time, so it was pretty special!