Anna Hecht might not be where she is today — reporting on money matters for CNBC Digital in metropolitan New York — if not for ...
— Professor Eric Wilson.
“Aside from being a challenging teacher and a constructive critic to students, I remember a time when I was stressing over a project I’d shot for his media course since I, myself, wasn’t totally sold on my source or the story. When I arrived at his office hours, I brought along a backup story that was fully shot — just in case.
“And instead of criticizing either so-so story, he said ‘Now this is what a good journalist does. They bring backup material for their editor and cover their bases.’
“And I kept that with me in my career ever since,” says the Bronze Tablet scholar and 2015 journalism grad, who landed at CNBC following stops at CNN (founding member of Underscored, the network’s first-ever commerce site) and InStyle (e-commerce editor).
— Professor Lynn Holley.
“She is an absolute advocate for students, and connects alumni with aspiring students so that they can succeed post-graduation. I’ll always appreciate her optimism and assertiveness.”
— Professor Stretch Ledford.
"He helped me to get a story very near and dear to me published and it’s one of the proudest things I walked away from Illinois with."
— Fellow members of the executive team at The Daily Illini — Johnathan Hettinger, Lauren Rohr and Hannah Prokop.
“Prior to senior year, I had never been much of a newspaper person. I was pursuing a magazine job all through college.
“And so, I dabbled at Illini Media, but didn’t commit a ton of time to working there during my first three years. However, when I applied on a whim to be the creative director of The Daily Illini my senior year, they saw my past experience and brought me on as part of the exec team.
“Being creative director is a massive job, so, I learned an endless amount that year. But most of all, I walked away with three of my best friends who have taught me so much about journalism and attended my wedding this year.”
