Marcus Weisgerber ' 04

From Katrina to Capitol Hill

I had just taken what would be my only shower of the week, but hygiene did not matter -- not here; not now. Sitting on a dock along a bank of the Mississippi River at sunset, just weeks after Hurricane Katrina destroyed many sections of New Orleans, I contemplated possible leads for the story I would file on how the New Hampshire National Guard was helping in the recovery efforts.

As I watched tree limbs and other debris floating by in the murky brown water, part of me left the storm-ravaged city and returned to the Durham office of my Newswriting professor, Jane Harrigan. I could hear her reminding me of the importance a good lead plays in each article.  I needed to get the readers’ attention, which today would not be too difficult. Just hours earlier, I’d accompanied four soldiers as they helped a local resident enter a severely flood-damaged home. The putrid stench of several-week-old mold and mildew still filled my nostrils.

Conveying detailed descriptions of my surroundings was essential to these New Orleans articles. There is no way I would have been able to accomplish this, or other assignments during my young career, without the preparation I received during my time in the UNH journalism program. 

Small classes and one-on-one interaction between teacher and student are the program’s greatest assets. Teachers not only know your name, they know what is happening in your life. If one professor is not available, another will surely be nearby to help.  The discussion-oriented journalism classes also gave me the opportunity to brainstorm ideas and issues with my peers and professors. The faculty always challenged me, never accepting mediocrity.  This gave me confidence in my writing and reporting capabilities as I entered the workforce after graduation.

While in college, I also had the privilege to work at UNH’s student newspaper, The New Hampshire, while simultaneously taking classes. The paper gives journalism students not only the opportunity to publish their work, but a chance to interact and receive mentoring from upperclassmen with more experience.

Since graduation, I have worked as an Internet news manager and freelance sports reporter for a major New York newspaper as well as an education reporter for a small daily newspaper.  Now I report on national defense in Washington, D.C.  The UNH journalism program gave me the confidence to ask any question to anyone, be it an average Joe on the street or a congressman on Capitol Hill.

Marcus Weisgerber ’04 is managing editor of Inside the Air Force in Arlington, Va.