Lauren Sorge’s summer work day began at 4:30 a.m., long before many of FOX 5 San Diego’s viewers were even awake. As an intern at the San Diego FOX affiliate station, Sorge needed an early start to write scripts, brainstorm story ideas and shadow reporters who were out covering the biggest stories in Southern California. Her work for the FOX 5 newsroom took her to the California Republican primary after-party and allowed her to meet influential figures like San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Best of all, she was working in her hometown.
When Sorge blanketed the country with her resume in spring 2016, she had no idea where she might end up as an intern. The application process was lengthy and time-consuming but she kept at it. Eventually, a news station in her native San Diego offered her a position.
As a journalism major in the broadcast track at CMCI, Sorge hopes to eventually work for a national news network, like CNN or NBC. She saw an internship at a large local station, like FOX 5, as a great step toward that goal. “Reporting is what I want to do as a career path,” she said, “and being able to follow [a FOX 5 reporter] was really cool and gave me a lot of good information as well as an amazing experience.”
The internship also taught Sorge about some of the difficult realities of the broadcast new industry, such as strict deadlines and high expectations. “It’s a huge learning curve that’s for sure, but you know, it will be worth it one day when I’m actually applying for a job,” she explained.
When the internship ended, Sorge returned to CU Boulder for her final year of classes, better-prepared and eager for a future career in broadcast news. For her fellow students looking for a similar experience, Sorge has this piece of advice: “if you have a passion for something, definitely care for that passion. For me, that was journalism.”