Before she went on to be a regular guest on CBS Chicago’s newscasts and blogger at HuffPost Live, Sheela Raja launched her on-air career in Weston Hall. It was home to the student-run WDBS, where Raja (Class of ’94) worked as a volunteer DJ.
“The station was only available in the dorms, and if you had a special cable antennae, you could listen on your FM receiver,” she says. “I loved that we were able to play whatever we wanted and even talk a little in between the songs.”
Raja’s bachelor’s degree was in psychology but her time in the DJ booth made the future clinical psychologist and UIC professor an in-demand guest, both in Chicagoland and beyond.
“Looking back, I think WDBS shaped my interest and commitment to working with the media,” she says. “As a psychologist and professor, I know that many people get their health and wellness information from magazines, television and radio.
“Sometimes, even things you do ‘just for fun’ end up shaping the course of your career.”
