accelerated master\u2019s program<\/a> student she\u2019s finishing her bachelor\u2019s degree and is now two semesters away from earning a Master of Mass Communication from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.<\/p>\n\u201cWhile finishing my master\u2019s level classes I\u2019ll work on building my entertainment journalism portfolio,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cI am building a career that will let me combine storytelling with my interest in film and media.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reynolds knew early on she wanted to travel out of state and attend school in Arizona. During her campus tour she was inspired by the student leaders and hands-on opportunities the Cronkite School offered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat ultimately set Cronkite apart was its close proximity to home and its reputation,\u201d she said. \u201cThe school is consistently recognized as one of the best in the nation and that level of excellence was something I couldn\u2019t find anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Downtown Phoenix campus became her home away from home, and her time living on campus as a first-year student played a key role in her network building.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a formative moment as I adjusted to college life and built some of my longest lasting friendships and connections,\u201d Reynolds said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now preparing to walk across her first ASU graduation stage, Reynolds is taking those network friendships as she looks forward to graduate studies and a future in entertainment media.<\/p>\n
Question: What was your \u201caha\u201d moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?<\/strong><\/p>\nAnswer:<\/strong>\u00a0My \u201caha\u201d moment came in two parts. The first one was during my internship with KOAT Action 7 News back home, where I was first introduced to the world of real-life local news and journalism. Being in that environment, surrounded by professionals in all walks of life, showed me how impactful this career could be.<\/p>\nThe second moment was unexpected. During my sophomore year, I was sitting in class during awards season adding some Emmy and Oscar nominated films to watch. It clicked that the people covering the red carpet and interviewing actors were journalists! I had never connected journalism to entertainment media before then, and I never looked back.<\/p>\n
Q: What\u2019s something you learned while at ASU \u2014 in the classroom or otherwise \u2014 that surprised you or changed your perspective?<\/strong><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/strong>One of the most important things I\u2019ve learned during my time at ASU is the need to take care of myself. Coming out of high school I was very focused on achieving my goals, pushing myself academically and setting myself up for success in my career, and I wasn\u2019t making self-care and mental health a priority. What I thought was \u201cthe grind\u201d was actually hindering me so I took a step back, set boundaries and started making time for myself. It was one of the most valuable lessons I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\nQ: What would you tell someone who’s coming from your home town who is considering attending ASU?<\/strong><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/strong>Do it. Leave. Don\u2019t stay comfortable. There\u2019s so much out there, and ASU gives you the space to experience all of it. Put yourself out there because the more you do that, the more you\u2019ll get back.<\/p>\nQ: What inspires you most about the future of media?<\/strong><\/p>\nA:\u00a0<\/strong>What inspires me most about the future of media is how much it\u2019s evolving into a more connected and community-driven space, especially on social media platforms. While there\u2019s still much more work to be done, to me, it feels like the industry is becoming more inclusive and reflective of diverse voices and perspectives. There\u2019s also been a shift toward more authentic storytelling and direct engagement with the public, which makes news feel less distant and more personal. That sense of community is something I want to be a part of, being able to contribute to conversations and connect with people in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.asu.edu \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It sounds like something a famous person would say to a reporter on the red carpet, \u201cYour network is your net worth.\u201d But Serenity Reynolds said it was some of the best wisdom she has ever received, and she wants incoming students to hear it too. \u201cThe relationships you build in your time here with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2405198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2405197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Social-network-currency-propels-grad-toward-future-in-entertainment-journalism.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2405197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2405199,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405197\/revisions\/2405199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2405198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2405197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2405197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2405197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}