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Giornalista Victoria Reitano ’10: A Look to the Future

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Molly Zimnoch
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Quinnipiac chapter.

Victoria Reitano graduated from Quinnipiac a year and a half ago, and has already made incredible strides as an up and coming journalist in the constantly evolving world of communications. She has mastered the ins and outs of social media, and was recently featured on the TODAY show. Journalism Professor Kenn Venit remembers her as one of his most ambitious and motivated students. ‘On the first day of each semester, I ask my students what they hope to become. Victoria confidently told me, “I want to be a New York Times correspondent.” I have never had a student aim that high, but I knew she was capable of whatever she set her mind to.’ Reitano studied abroad in Italy while at QU, and Venit recalls the amazing impact that time had upon her. “She came back sophisticated, fashionable, and worldly,” he said. Ever since her return, this self-proclaimed “Giornalista,” comes closer to the NY Times with each passing day. 

 What were you involved in while at QU?
I was the President of Lambda Pi Eta, a founding sister of Alpha Delta Pi, a founding Editor of The Quad News and I wrote for the Chronicle my freshman/sophomore year. I also was involved with the QU Democrats and attended the Inauguration of President Obama with Professor McClean in 2009. 


 
Best QU memory: This is a hard one! There are so many great memories, but I have to say one of my favorites is the first snow of my freshman year. I was living in Commons with my roommates (who are still some of my best friends) and it was after midnight when the snow started falling. We all couldn’t fall asleep so we decided to bundle up and go play in the snow. It showed me that college is more than the things you learn in class, in fact, the MOST important lessons you learn will be out of the classroom. 
 
Favorite Professor: A tie between Professor Richard Hanley and Professor Kenn Venit, both Journalism professors who taught me that dreaming big is the only way to dream. 
 
What are you up to now?
All sorts of things! By day, I’m the Assistant Editor at SDTimes, a trade magazine that covers enterprise technology, which is basically technology for software developers. By night, I’m a blogger for my own website, The Giornalista Files, and I contribute to a bunch of different blogs focused on giving advice to women. 
 
Dream Job?
City desk reporter for The New York Times (the digital version, of course)
 
Any Advice for us budding Giornalistas?
Be courageous. Push the envelope. Think like a Man, live like a Woman. Journalism is changing field, instead of fearing it, be thankful that you have the opportunity to define what journalism will mean in the next five, ten, fifteen years. 
 
Proudest Accomplishment to Date: Going on the TODAY show in August. I’m obsessed with social media and because of the many pieces of content I’ve written for different websites, blogs and news organizations, the producer reached out to me to appear on the show in a college news segment. It was such an amazing experience. Check out Victoria’s segment here!
 

 
What do you think is the most important tool to have as an up and coming journalist?
Twitter and a strong understanding of Social Media tools. Social Media is the best way to reach, and learn about, your audience, so be sure you understand the proper way to use it as a journalist. 

To learn more about Victoria and her inspiring career, visit her personal website www.VictoriaReitano.com and follow her on Twitter @giornalista515. 

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Molly is a senior print journalism major and psychology minor at Quinnipiac University. She enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and spending as much time on the beach as possible. Molly loves to travel, and recently brought home a dog, Kodiak, from Rincon, Puerto Rico in January 2011. She is an aspiring food writer for publications such as Gourmet, and Fine Cooking. In preparation for this career, Molly spent the summer of 2011 working on an organic farm, and hopes to attend the Culinary Institute of America after graduating from QU in the spring. Having been a transfer to Quinnipiac in the fall of her sophomore year, Molly knows the importance of being outgoing and friendly, and hopes to make many wonderful memories during her last year in Hamden.