Two seniors from the School of Design are getting real-world experience in the SU community through their participation with SUTV.
Matt Patti and Lauren Aversa currently serve as the video and digital journalism broadcasting interns of the SUTV team. They are responsible for covering events happening in the Stevenson community — through a lens, rather than through print.
Matt Patti is a senior film and moving image major with a minor in communication, and he has been a part of the SUTV team since 2015. His previous work as a producer and cameraman have prepared him for this more challenging role.
Lauren Aversa comes from a journalistic background. As a business communication major, she has had on-the-field experience covering stories as they relate to the Stevenson community. Having spent some time as a writer for The Villager, she is now taking those skills and applying them to this new platform.
Patti and Aversa are given the same assignment each week: find at least one story they are interested in and cover it. They are responsible for individually producing, filming and editing every episode for each story.
“Every week, I try to do something different so that I can expand my horizons and learn different skills,” Aversa said. “I haven’t done much in relation to video before…I’ve done journalism before, and I’ve taken many writing classes, but the cinematography and video aspects are completely new to me.”
In this role, the interns are expected to be self-sufficient; they normally work by themselves. Patti and Aversa have collaborated only once. The ability to, as Aversa said, “have your own toolkit,” or be able to be self-sufficient, is a trait that employers appreciate. Having all of those tools in their kits will help both students as they begin their careers after graduation.
“I’d love working for WBAL or some kind of news station, so this would definitely help me prepare for that,” said Patti. Upon graduation, he is hoping to enter the film, television or media industries, and he believes that his overall Stevenson experience has prepared him to do so confidently.
Aversa plans on taking her degree into the fields of advertising or marketing, and she has found some of those skills manifested in her work with SUTV. “Marketing, advertising, public relations…all of those classes applied in a situation where I thought I knew nothing, and that’s been very relevant over the past couple of weeks.”
This year, SUTV has covered events including convocation, MAP’s Karaoke Night, the SU Band Day Experience, the M.I.L.E. Roller Skate Jam and the Involvement Fair.
As for events the two hope to report on, Aversa is excited to cover Homecoming.
“It’s a huge event,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to get involved at Stevenson…there’s so much going on, and I can’t cover everything, but I can’t wait to just get in and see what Stevenson’s going to do this year.”
On a similarly large scale, Patti is excited to cover the M.I.L.E. Cookout.
“It’s going to be very hectic and challenging, but I think it’ll ultimately be fun to cover especially with the large turnouts,” he said.
To view Aversa’s and Patti’s releases, visit the SUTV Facebook page. Those who are interested in joining the SUTV team can contact supervisor Aaron Harris for more information.