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MORE ABOUT ANNA
Anna DeGoede clearly remembers her first time working on layout for the student newspaper, The Hofstra Chronicle. That night stands out as one of her favorite Hofstra memories, even though she was terrified when it began.
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“It was such an intense experience,” she said. “I was there working until 3:30 a.m. on the features section. It was an amazing process to build a series of articles into a cohesive publication.”
Today Anna is the Chronicle’s editor-in-chief and has lost count of the number of layouts she’s worked on. “That first night was like learning to swim after being thrown into the deep end of a pool. But it was a great taste of what was to follow!”
Anna, a Rabinowitz Honors College student and member of the professional fraternity Zeta Phi Eta, initially chose Hofstra because of its program offerings in English and publishing. Her love of storytelling eventually led her to switch to a journalism major.
Hofstra’s proximity to the city was also a major attraction. “I knew there would be lots of opportunities for internships and networking in the fields that interested me,” Anna said. “Students in the Herbert School of Communication are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the short commute to the city to make professional connections and gain work experience – even in areas outside their major.”
Anna has landed two internships in Manhattan. The first was ID PR, where she worked on accounts like Peloton, Nintendo, and PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). This semester she is working at bde&co., a public relations firm where she’s pitching stories and monitoring media coverage for clients in architecture and design, travel, culture, lifestyle, and hospitality, including the high-end furniture brand, Ligne Roset, and the lighting company, Flos.
As Anna gets ready to graduate, she acknowledges that much of what she’s accomplished at Hofstra has to do with the support she’s received from friends and faculty.
High on Anna’s list of people to thank is Media Studies Professor Brian McFadden, who also serves as advisor to The Hofstra Chronicle. “He has been instrumental in helping me grow my leadership skills and confidence,” she said. “I think it’s easy for advisors to ‘advise’ too much. Professor McFadden is great at lending an ear without being imposing. He encourages independence but will also step in when needed, and that has been really helpful while I learn to trust my own instincts.”
Anna has built a family of friends during her time at Hofstra, and it is that group she’ll miss the most after graduating. “We started college together in the middle of a pandemic. It was a difficult time, but it helped me figure out the kinds of people I want to surround myself with,” Anna explained. “So many of them have pushed me farther than I ever thought possible, especially my friends and fellow club members on the Chronicle and in Zeta Phi Eta.
“I know I will continue to be inspired by their friendship and professionalism even when we aren’t in the same space together every day.”
» Anna’s story isn’t unique. In fact, among Hofstra University’s 2021-2022 undergraduate degree recipients, 92% of alumni from The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication reported they were employed or had started or were planning to start graduate school within one year of graduation. Results are based on data collected from the Alumni Outcomes survey, LinkedIn, National Student Clearinghouse, and Hofstra enrollment (83% knowledge rate). Visit our outcomes page at hofstra.edu/outcomes for detailed information.