Sophia Lesseos is a recent CSUN graduate and a former president of the RTDNA club. She is currently working as a multimedia journalist at KNDU/KNDO NBC Right Now in Washington. She graduated from College of the Canyons and received her associate degree in photography and journalism. Now, she has her CSUN bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism under her belt.
Lesseos interned at KABC-TV News as a production assistant while she was studying to receive her bachelor’s degree.
After she graduated CSUN, she got multiple stations reaching out and offering her a position at their stations. “I turned down so many places located in the South,” said Lesseos. Until two stations caught her attention, one located in Chico and the other in Washington.
She ended up moving to Yakima, Washington in the summer of 2021 where she covers breaking news and sports. “It was an 18-hour drive that I split up into three days,” she explained.
She was thrown into the position without much training. “I’m not trying to scare anyone, but they just threw me in there and said make the deadline. I want to be real about what it was really like for me,” said Lesseos.
Sophia produces her own content and carries around 50 pounds worth of equipment everywhere. She says her transition into working wasn’t too bad for her since she’s a quick learner, but says it is a very stressful environment.
Here’s a few of the questions asked by our panel and students that Sophia answered.
Q: What do you do to keep yourself going?
A: I like to stay busy, also I recommend you make your own meals because most of the time you’ll be busy traveling in the news van. I get Saturdays and Sundays off for the most part.
I like to go out in nature to also unwind after covering depressing news that involve murder and children.
Q: What did you do during your student years that helped you out?
A: I was going out to find packages to cover with my friend, like rallies and protests. I would try to turn them in one day. Here’s a tip: Don’t try to memorize your script just know what you’ll be talking about. Make sure you’re writing your script and not repeating anything a person is already saying in the interview.
Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen going into broadcast journalism?
A: Always ask professors for advice. Take the hard teachers because they’re the ones who you’ll learn the most from. They’ll rip you apart and then put you back together. Try to practice your interviewing skills, practice tight, medium and wide shots. Write an article right after covering a story and practice editing on Premiere Pro, it’s free for CSUN students.
If you want to learn more about Sophia Lesseos and her journey to landing a successful career right after college, you can click down below and watch the whole interview on Youtube!