Meet Emily McConville! As a prominent member of the Observer staff and soon to be intern with the South Bend Tribune, Emily will definetely be showing up on your radar in the near future! With a talent for news writing and an love for Dante’s Divine Comedy, ladies and gentlemen, Emily McConville!
Name: Emily McConville
Year: Sophomore
Dorm: Cavanaugh Hall
Major: History; minor: journalism and possibly business or Italian
Extracurricular activities: The Observer and work and the Observer.
North or South Dining Hall and defend your choice: Definitely South, because of the food options and the atmosphere. No, I changed my mind – North, because it’s closer and it has the make-your-own-pasta section on a regular basis. Wait, no! Um . . . ABP. For obvious reasons.
You recently acquired an internship at the South Bend tribune! How does that feel?
It feels great! I’ve been interested in journalism for a long time, but before now I haven’t had much opportunity to write for a professional publication. I’m excited to do “grown-up” stories (not that I haven’t before, of course), but I’m even more excited to get out into South Bend, to learn more about the city and its people.
Do you know what some of your responsibilities are going to be?
I will be a news intern, so if my stories appear in print, they will be in the first section of the paper. I believe I will also be responsible for making sure my stories are web-ready, as well as maintaining a bit of a social media presence. There might also be opportunities for multimedia work (photo/video), but my primary job will be writing news stories.
Why are you so interested in journalism?
I have always liked to write, and journalism allows me to put my writing to good use. I love talking to people, finding out what their passions or problems are, and trying to convey those feelings to everyone else. Journalism can make people more conscious of how governments and societies work. Some types of journalism give you the normal headlines that keep you informed about what’s going on in the world, but other can make you more aware of people and issues you may not otherwise think about.
Was it an interest you always had, or did it develop in college?
I was quite involved in student publications at my high school and took journalism classes, but I did not know whether I wanted to go into journalism for sure until I had a conversation with a journalism professor at the University of Kentucky, who basically assured me that the industry is not dying, and I should be able to do journalism as a career, if not in the traditional way. That conversation put to rest my main fear, that of the impossibility of finding a writing job, and I realized I had really wanted to do journalism all along.
What’s your ultimate dream job?
My plan is to go into print or online journalism, but my absolute dream job would be working for NPR or an NPR affiliate. A few weeks ago someone described radio journalism as having a conversation with someone in a bar (I doubt he was thinking of Feve) – very individual and intimate. I love listening to public radio for that reason, and I want to work in public radio for that reason.
Who would you consider your idol and why?
Edward Murrow. Very cool guy. He basically built up network TV journalism to something really huge, and he helped bring down Joseph McCarthy.
Use three adjectives to describe yourself.
Studious, timid, independent.
Top four favorite books and why?
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, because it’s so different and beautifully written, and I love being taken out of my own mode of thinking.
2. The Divine Comedy, which is actually a work in progress – I’ve read Inferno and Purgatorio, but I’m only about halfway through Paradiso. I feel like reading Dante is kind of an accomplishment in itself, and thinking about the meaning of his poetry is like solving a puzzle. It’s difficult, but if you figure something out, it feels like the entire world makes sense.
3. Perhaps not one of my favorite books, but I am currently reading The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl, which is about the publication of the first American translation of the Divine Comedy by an American (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes are the main characters, and it’s about them and a bunch of other prominent Boston poets battling against Harvard’s anti-Dante Protestant establishment to get the translation published. Cool, right? Except it’s also a murder mystery – someone’s going around killing people in the exact ways sinners get punished in hell. So you’ve got Longfellow running around Boston trying to find a serial killer. It’s a ton of fun. I’d highly recommend it.
4. Harry Potter, hands down, because it’s Harry Potter.
Best experience you’ve had at ND so far?
Honestly, my many walks around campus. I work at Legends, and I’ve had those far-away classes on Mars and had to shoot softball games on Pluto, but I actually like making the treks. It gives me a chance to listen to music, zone out, and admire the real beauty of Notre Dame’s campus.
Favorite quote?
Something an interview subject said to me the other day, actually: “The only people you have to get even with are the people who have helped you.
Thanks, Emily!
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