Major: Digital Media Technology
CCM Alumna Interns at News 12 New Jersey Providing Students with Practical Learning Opportunities
County College of Morris (CCM) alumna Cassandra Diamandas knew she wanted to obtain an internship as part of her CCM education. Fortunately for her, an opportunity arose that she could not pass up: interning at News 12 New Jersey.
During her last semester at CCM, Diamandas, of Jefferson, worked for News 12, editing footage that would appear on live television. Every day, she would work alongside editors, producers, graphic designers and reporters to procure and broadcast information to News 12 viewers. In addition to daily news coverage, Diamandas had the rare opportunity of covering the most recent presidential election—an experience that helped her better understand her future career field of film editing.
“Something that I took away from working at News 12 was being able to handle a very fast-paced environment and working under pressure, as well as submitting new information as soon as I was told to at the drop of a hat,” said Diamandas.
The Department of Career Services and Cooperative Education works with CCM students to help them obtain internships. The college places a high priority on providing students with experiential learning opportunities.
Diamandas earned her associate degree in digital media technology. She continued her studies at The Edit Center in Brooklyn where she pursued film editing. Since interning at News 12 New Jersey, she has gained assistant editor credits on three films and credits as an additional editor on two films. Two projects she worked on had world premieres at the CineQuest Film Festival and The MethodFest Film Festival, both in Los Angeles.
“My advice for someone looking to pursue a career in the media industry is to take every opportunity you can to create contacts, no matter how big or small,” Diamandas said. “The media industry is very competitive, but don’t let that deter you from pursuing it. Meet as many people as you can, and utilize the media hub that is so close to us: New York City.”