Alumni Spotlight
We feature an alum from the Department of Communication and Visual Arts as a way to help our students identify with various career paths this degree can take them. If you know an alum who should be featured, please email us!
Brendan Johnson
I’m a meteorologist for WTMJ-TV (TMJ4) in Milwaukee, WI
My major was in meteorology. I graduated in 2017.
I was heavily involved with VUTV – serving as its Executive Director in the 2016-2017 school year.
I also worked with WVUR, VUSIT, and Chi Epsilon Pi.
Valpo’s Weathercasting class was my favorite course at Valpo. It was a great opportunity for all of the junior/senior meteorologists to get feedback on our weather broadcasts. Plus – our instructor, Ellen Bacca, brought in a TV News Director to practice our interview skills with.
My favorite memory is the community in the Communications and Meteorology Department. I loved being a part of it. Student media have their “Schnabelgations” and MET students were always working on their problem sets. We could do our work in either building – knowing that we had the support of the faculty just down the hall. The faculty in Schnabel/KCH were so welcoming and made time to chat about coursework or whatever was on our minds!
Valpo Day 2016 was a huge milestone during my time at VU. The Student Media put on a nonstop 12-hour telethon showcasing every part of the university. It was A LOT of work – bringing together every organization on campus and working closely with the administration.
It taught me a lot about TV and the teamwork it takes to get something on the air.
That teamwork is a HUGE reason I do the work I do today. I love working side-by-side with people who are passionate about TV – to bring news and information to our viewers.
I’m so grateful we got that chance to work on that project for a school we all love so much.
Valpo is great with experiential learning – take advantage of it!
The Student Media Organizations are your first chance to develop skills you’ll use with internships and in your job
Get involved early and try everything – both behind the scenes and in front of the camera/microphone.
When you take the time to diversify your skillset, you come across as a standout candidate in that first job interview!