A reporter in the making (no, not me)

The reporter waits to ask her questions. Pen is posed. Notebook flipped open and secured. And the eyes say it all: I’m ready to interview.

Kelsi Cooke, a junior in Maria Cote’s reporting class, may look like a typical 20-something student, but beneath that backpack-wearing, ponytailed exterior lives a true journalist. She gets the facts right, she gets the right facts, and in Tuesday’s class, she interviewed me with precision and ease that can only come from a future reporter.

Cooke, a graduate from Highlands Ranch High School and current student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has always had her eye on journalism. Her current work in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication brings her closer to her dream:

“I see myself being a social media manager… or writing for an online publication.”

But not every part of this fantasy has come true. Cooke aspired to attend the University of Missouri for the well-known School of Journalism. But being a Buffalo isn’t too bad.

“My experience at CU has been mostly a positive one…and if I have friends that move across the country, they’re going to get letters from me no matter what!” It’s this persistence that highlights Cooke’s aptitude for the field. When playing interviewer, Cooke didn’t shirk the hard stuff, catching me off guard with her first questions and reeling me in with her follow-ups.

“What is your greatest ambition?”

“What matters most to you?”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”, seeking information from me that, before I could stop myself, became interesting. But being tough on information, and in general, comes naturally to Cooke.

“If I were an animal I’d be a turtle,” she says, “they have the hard shell, but on the inside, there’s compassion. I have that outside, but on the inside I do care.” Not a bad characteristic, especially for someone pursuing a profession known for its startling details, be them bodily or ethically. Cooke recognizes this facet of her future profession. But her experience as a resident advisor in Sewall Hall definitely helps stem the shock from such encounters.

Her position can include handling issues such as alcohol poisoning, theft, unplanned media coverage, physical brawls and more. It’s no surprise then, when she says this experience has made her “grow so much as a person,” and perhaps more importantly for Cooke, as a future professional journalist.

On answering her own question, Cooke says, “My greatest ambition is to be successful. I'm not sure what that means really. But I think I’ll know it when it happens.” If this report is any indication, she’s well on her way.