What’s Up With Wendy?
Apr 30, 2017 | Lindsay Horner, Second-Year Public Relations Student
With approximately 1,000 graduates each year, Canadore College now has over 43,000 alumni working around the world. Proud Canadore College graduate, Wendy Bird, a current reporter and news reader at CBC Radio Sudbury, credits Canadore for her success in the journalism field today.
Canadore College had the opportunity to sit down with Wendy to learn more about her career, since graduating from Canadore twenty four years ago. Here’s what Wendy had to say...
Question: As a reporter and news at CBC Radio Sudbury, what kind of role and responsibilities do you have?
Wendy Bird: My work involves a lot of juggling. Tracking people down for interviews, research, writing stories, compiling newscasts, publishing online stories, radio broadcasting and engaging our audience on social media. Other responsibilities I have include meetings, training, mini-meetings, and more! It’s a fast paced business that requires critical thinking at all times.
Q: Why did you choose a career in media reporting?
WB: I wanted to be a mother first. Having a career that would allow me to freelance when my kids were younger, was important to me.
Q: Why did you choose to study at Canadore?
WB: At the time, Canadore was the only northern Ontario college at the time that could offer me a direct-entry one-year journalism program. I had just graduated from Laurentian University’s Bachelor of Arts in English program and I wanted to get working in the field as soon as I could. With the help of Canadore, my dream became a reality. In order to make that dream a reality though, I had a one hour commute (from Sudbury to North Bay, Ont.) each day.
Q: How did Canadore prepare you for your career?
WB: The professors at Canadore helped me develop some critical thinking skills that I still use to this day in my line of work. During my time at Canadore, my favourite classes, besides reporting, were law and media analysis. Throughout all my classes, I was able to realize that I would never get bored in this kind of work!
Q: Do you have any advice you would give to students interested in today’s media landscape?
WB: Change is constant, no matter what industry you work in. Remind yourself not to freak out if things seem to be overwhelming at first. Remember to stay true to your ethics and principles as a journalist. These types of values will stick with you wherever you go throughout your career, while also being a sort of comfort when everything seems to be confusing and distracting. Finally, I would also say never say no to learning and take every opportunity to create and ask questions throughout your time in the field.
Q: What is your fondest Canadore memory?
WB: There are so many different memories that I have. It’s so hard just to pick one. I graduated with a creative bunch and I enjoyed spending time in the dark room, the one-on-one chats that I had with my professors and then all the different friendships that I made with each of my classmates during my time at Canadore.
Q: Is there anything else that you think our readers would like to know?
WB: I am thrilled to be living and working in northern Ontario. With the help of Canadore College, I was able to stay in northern Ontario and create and grow my family in a community that I am familiar with.
