Be a Swiss Army Knife alumni advise Journalism students

by Meaghan Franchi

“My goal was to be an on air host.”

Victoria Alvarado, who graduated from Seneca’s Journalism program in 2018, had a long and circuitous route to her current job on air at the Weather Network.  She’s been a master control operator, an editor, a social media content producer and an on air host.   She credits her perseverance and her versatility for finally getting her to where she is.

“Literally at the Weather Network they were calling me the Swiss Army knife. There is no one else in the history that has had four on call positions from on-air to a technical job like that.”

Camille Wilson, a 2019 grad who now works as an Audience Hype Producer at Cityline on CITY-TV agrees.

“You’re not just doing one job any more. Right. You’re going out. You’re shooting your own stuff. You’re finding your own B-roll. You’re editing your own content. You’re writing your own stories.”

Wilson has also worked a variety of roles, including traffic reporting, which is how she got hired at 680 News.

“Be prepared for any kind of position.”

Both were taking part in an alumni panel of Journalism students.

Niza Nondo, another grad from 2019, who is now a producer for the CBC’s show, The Current, told students one of his favourite quotes that inspires him.

“It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”

Nondo says he doesn’t worry about where the industry is headed.

“Me, I’m not afraid of job cuts because I work on myself so much, where I know that I can work anywhere I want to… any country, any city, because I work on myself as an individual.”

Alvarado advised students they need resilience.

“Never feel comfortable. Always have a back up plan.”

Wilson says she has enjoyed where her career has taken her so far.

“I believe everything I learned also was for a reason to build my career. Things I didn’t think I was going to do, and I did, but hey it has added to me. There’s nothing I can say that I would have done differently.”

MEET OUR ALUMNI

Camille Wilson is a Audience Hype Producer at CityLine. She graduated from Seneca in 2019. She started interning at CityLine while she was still in college. However, she didn’t stay there. After graduation and her internship was over she reached out to Tina Cortese and wound up working for 105.9 The Region.

After 105.9 The Region she obtained a job doing traffic reports for 680 News. In less then a year she got the opportunity to work for Breakfast Television and CityLine again. While she worked for them she was offered a brand new position within CityLine as their Audience Hype Producer, a job title that was specifically tailored to her and her specific role on the show.

She stresses to be open to all opportunities and to showcase your personality at all times. Being multi skilled and multi faceted in journalism helps and being your authentic self is very important. Wilson thoroughly enjoys what she does and she concludes by saying that “if it’s a passion, it’s worth it.”

Victoria Alvarado is a Seneca alumni that is currently working for The Weather Network as a video journalist. She graduated from Seneca in 2018 and she believes in having big goals and and an even bigger drive for success.

She started her journey interning at TSN. Hopeful that she would remain at TSN after her internship, she found herself out of a job shortly after it was done. She was out of work for about a year, sending out resume after resume until she got a job with CTV in their control room. Feeling the need to move on to her preferred position as an on air personality she decided to market herself via her YouTube channel and kept in contact with all the connections she had made.

The Weather Network got back to her but couldn’t keep her on at that time because of COVID-19. But she stayed in contact with them and was offered multiple on call positions. After 2 years of working on call she was contracted by them and started the position she has with them now.

Most days she is her own videographer and she does all the editing and the arranging of the shooting spots herself.

Alvarado loves the variety of journalism and the ever changing days events and as she said “it’s important to adapt to the times” and to be flexible. She’s been incredibly persistent and loud about her goals for herself and is thrilled to be doing what she loves. Journalism.

Niza Nondo is currently working as a producer and journalist at The Current at CBC National Radio. He graduated from Seneca in 2019. Nondo started his journey by freelancing as a videographer and cinematographer. He worked as a writer in Turkey in 2018 and did freelance work in the United States as well. He then went on to Global News after that for a bit. The skills he learned at Seneca have enabled him to work around the world including his home country of Zambia.

Nondo also has a very positive outlook on a somewhat bleak journalistic landscape. With all the job cuts going on within the industry right now, Nondo is confident that he will always be able to find employment, no matter what is going on because of his knowledge of the industry and skillset.

Nondo stresses to always be prepared for whatever opportunities may come in and to never lose sight of your goals.

WRAPPING UP THE EVENT

Wilson, Alvarado and Nondo all stress to be multi faceted, be prepared for anything, always showcase your personality and most importantly have fun. Also, if you are a new grad don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a job right out of college. It takes time sometimes to get to where you want to be. But with persistence and determination, you can do it. Just like they did.