Penn State University
Graduation: May 10, 2014
Degrees In:
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism - Broadcast Journalism
Minors: Business & The Liberal Arts, Sociology
My name is Christopher Aland and I would like to welcome you to my website. Here, you can get to know a little bit more about who I am and take a step into some of my life's work.
I graduated from Penn State University in May of 2014 with a degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in both business and sociology. Being a Penn State graduate isn't just something that I take likely... it's part of who I am. Penn State is a culture in itself and my experience there has helped shape me into the man that I am today.
One of the key elements that I took away from my college experience was to have passion in what you do and to have passion in yourself. I'm my own, worst critic and nothing can cripple me more than the standards that I set for myself. I've learned to embrace failure and turn it into something I can strive off of. There are going to be obstacles standing in the way of my dreams but I have to believe in myself and what I am capable of accomplishing.
I am a hard working individual with a self-promoter mentality that knows how to set goals and meet them. One thing that I believe in is that nothing is ever done without a great deal of enthusiasm. I live by that mantra and choose to be a passionate person in my life's work that sees every journey with a positive outlook.
Being out of school and in the real world has been an eye-opening experience when it comes to what society expects of young graduates. It's hard to find that initial "foot in the door" job without the right contact or the right amount of experience. Kids spend so much time, effort, and money going to college in hopes of getting their desired degree in hopes of getting there desired job, myself included. But what some people don't realize is that these young adults learn so much more outside the classroom and apply those skills to every day life. Everything a certain job or corporation is looking for may not be on paper but that doesn't mean that person isn't the right fit... there's so much more to a person and each person deserves a chance to express that.
My field of study in broadcast journalism has equipped me with a multitude of skills that I know can be used in various career sets: communicating effectively with others, connecting with an audience, having confidence in yourself, staying organized and prompt, projecting your voice and ideas where needed, and staying on task when a deadline is set.
I've had some great opportunities throughout my college experience and I've used each of them as a stepping stone to propel my career forward:
As a young freshman I knew I wanted to start my career off early so I was fortunate enough to have an internship with State College's "The Morning Zoo" on B94.5, which was a Pop/Top 40 radio station. As a "B-Tern" I was able to learn the ins and outs of what goes into a morning radio show. I grasped a great understanding of editing, producing, speaking on air, and a general knowledge of what it means to work with a team. The B-Terns were in charge of a multitude of marketing and promotional content for the station including blogging, setting up live remotes, and branding sponsorships.
Sophomore and junior year, respectively, I interned with State College's C-NET and local television station WJAC-TV (Channel 6 News). Both of these television internships provided me a great background focused more towards the broadcast spectrum of my career. With C-NET, I was able to work with a videocamera where I got practice with angles, pans, zooms, and camera adjustments in general. WJAC gave me a hands-on experience working with a reporter and going out into the field with her to shoot stories. I also helped her edit the stories back at the news station.
The summer of 2013 I interned at KDKA-TV/CW, where I was able to help produce it's morning show "Pittsburgh Today Live." The show consists of various segments such as cooking, interviewing local business, highlighting the special events going on in the city, etc. I was in charge of writing stories for the different segments of the show, updating and keeping track of the show's social media accounts and website, and handling all of the guests for the show. My internship also consisted of working with the CW side of the station where I worked on a few commercial spots that would air on television.
Currently I am working at Apple as a specialist where I get to work with customers and educate them on our company's amazing products. I take the time to understand their specific needs and provide them with the appropriate solution(s).
It's been an amazing experience, thus far, working at one of my favorite companies that I have loved since I was a little kid. I'm always looking forward to the future, however, and ready to see where life is going to take me.
Please feel free to browse my website and look at anything that you may need. Take the opportunity to download my resume, look at my work, and/or email me with any questions. Enjoy!
I graduated from Penn State University in May of 2014 with a degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in both business and sociology. Being a Penn State graduate isn't just something that I take likely... it's part of who I am. Penn State is a culture in itself and my experience there has helped shape me into the man that I am today.
One of the key elements that I took away from my college experience was to have passion in what you do and to have passion in yourself. I'm my own, worst critic and nothing can cripple me more than the standards that I set for myself. I've learned to embrace failure and turn it into something I can strive off of. There are going to be obstacles standing in the way of my dreams but I have to believe in myself and what I am capable of accomplishing.
I am a hard working individual with a self-promoter mentality that knows how to set goals and meet them. One thing that I believe in is that nothing is ever done without a great deal of enthusiasm. I live by that mantra and choose to be a passionate person in my life's work that sees every journey with a positive outlook.
Being out of school and in the real world has been an eye-opening experience when it comes to what society expects of young graduates. It's hard to find that initial "foot in the door" job without the right contact or the right amount of experience. Kids spend so much time, effort, and money going to college in hopes of getting their desired degree in hopes of getting there desired job, myself included. But what some people don't realize is that these young adults learn so much more outside the classroom and apply those skills to every day life. Everything a certain job or corporation is looking for may not be on paper but that doesn't mean that person isn't the right fit... there's so much more to a person and each person deserves a chance to express that.
My field of study in broadcast journalism has equipped me with a multitude of skills that I know can be used in various career sets: communicating effectively with others, connecting with an audience, having confidence in yourself, staying organized and prompt, projecting your voice and ideas where needed, and staying on task when a deadline is set.
I've had some great opportunities throughout my college experience and I've used each of them as a stepping stone to propel my career forward:
As a young freshman I knew I wanted to start my career off early so I was fortunate enough to have an internship with State College's "The Morning Zoo" on B94.5, which was a Pop/Top 40 radio station. As a "B-Tern" I was able to learn the ins and outs of what goes into a morning radio show. I grasped a great understanding of editing, producing, speaking on air, and a general knowledge of what it means to work with a team. The B-Terns were in charge of a multitude of marketing and promotional content for the station including blogging, setting up live remotes, and branding sponsorships.
Sophomore and junior year, respectively, I interned with State College's C-NET and local television station WJAC-TV (Channel 6 News). Both of these television internships provided me a great background focused more towards the broadcast spectrum of my career. With C-NET, I was able to work with a videocamera where I got practice with angles, pans, zooms, and camera adjustments in general. WJAC gave me a hands-on experience working with a reporter and going out into the field with her to shoot stories. I also helped her edit the stories back at the news station.
The summer of 2013 I interned at KDKA-TV/CW, where I was able to help produce it's morning show "Pittsburgh Today Live." The show consists of various segments such as cooking, interviewing local business, highlighting the special events going on in the city, etc. I was in charge of writing stories for the different segments of the show, updating and keeping track of the show's social media accounts and website, and handling all of the guests for the show. My internship also consisted of working with the CW side of the station where I worked on a few commercial spots that would air on television.
Currently I am working at Apple as a specialist where I get to work with customers and educate them on our company's amazing products. I take the time to understand their specific needs and provide them with the appropriate solution(s).
It's been an amazing experience, thus far, working at one of my favorite companies that I have loved since I was a little kid. I'm always looking forward to the future, however, and ready to see where life is going to take me.
Please feel free to browse my website and look at anything that you may need. Take the opportunity to download my resume, look at my work, and/or email me with any questions. Enjoy!
"Believe deep down in your heart that you're destined to do great things." -- Joe Paterno