When rising senior Lauren Boone was six years old, her brother Duncan, who was in third grade, joined a diving club. In her Rutgers bio, she said, “I followed him there and never left!” Last month, the SC&I Journalism and Media Studies major was named a Scholar All American by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
In June, a month before she was named a Scholar All American, Boone was also named the captain of the Rutgers Women’s Swimming and Diving team for the 2020-2021 season. According to the team’s website, Boone “scored a career-best on the platform at zones and posted RU's top performance in the event at Big Ten Championships. A two-time Big Ten All-Academic and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award winner, she was also her high school valedictorian. Boone also serves on the SAAC Executive Board as the VP of Community Outreach.”
During the swimming and diving season, Boone trains six days a week (Boone said based on the NCAA compliance rules, they need to practice 20 hours a week spread out between Monday-Saturday).
This summer, Boone is interning at NBC, working remotely from her home in Indiana. On August 13, she said she received another wonderful surprise: she was asked by NBC to continue her internship this fall.
Working with the Central Booking team for all MSNBC live shows, Boone said her role involves mostly focusing on the upcoming election, making lists of potential guests, and researching other people who could be new voices for MSNBC. She also attends virtual events, assigned by the team at NBC Universal Campus Programs, to help the interns learn more about different areas of the company.
“This summer at NBC has been one of the most memorable summers,” Boone said. “Even with the internship being completely remote, I learned so much. It really opened my eyes to the world of news. Of course, it was disappointing doing my internship from my home in Indiana due to the pandemic, rather than at 30 Rockefeller in NYC, but I am so happy with how it turned out.
“This past summer was crazy in terms of the news cycle. With the election, pandemic, social justice movements and everything in between, there was a lot to get done. I was constantly pitching ideas for news segments and different angles for the breaking news stories. I did many ‘pre interviews’ where I would interview a potential guest and then discuss with my boss and the rest of the team if they would be a good voice on air.
“I learned how the environment of a breaking news show works. Everything is constantly changing and there is always something new to get done and to look into. There are also so many voices that matter, and it is important for the news to ensure that voices are heard. NBC has an incredible community. I had the opportunity to have informationals with people in NBC Sports and Olympics, DreamWorks, the Today Show, on top of all the people I spoke with at MSNBC.”
As a diver who has competed against Olympic diver Jessica Parratto, Boone said she arrived at Rutgers as an undecided major, and it wasn’t until this past summer (going into her senior year) that she realized her career path. “SC&I has supported me in all of my curiosities, and I will be forever grateful for all the faculty and staff,” Boone said.
Boone explained she first discovered the JMS Department when she took the course Introduction to Media at the end of her freshman year. “That course really made me interested in the JMS major,” Boone said. “I began tutoring for Introduction to Media and eventually applied and was accepted into SC&I. I realized through journalism that I can study so many different topics. I’ve taken courses relating journalism and media to sports, law, design, social issues, and more. I love that there is so much to learn, with so many wonderful professors with different backgrounds.”
Describing the JMS faculty members who have had the greatest impact on her, and the courses she’s enjoyed the most, she said, "Steve Miller has been an amazing professor, mentor and supporter ever since I declared JMS as my major, and I can’t thank him enough for his advice and consistency. Rachel Kremen has been extremely supportive and was a wonderful professor for Media, Ethics and Law. Deepa Kumar was my professor for Gender, Race and Class is media and she is brilliant and opened my eyes to the social world around us. The video projects I completed in Broadcast News Writing and Reporting taught by Carol Cassidy, helped me not only in school and my major, but I was able to put the pieces I made in that class in my portfolio and share them with potential employers.”
Cassidy also helped her land her prestigious internship at NBC, Boone said. “Professor Cassidy helped me prepare for my NBC interview for my summer internship, from logistics of what outfit to wear, to how to approach the questions I will be asked, to boosting my confidence the day before I headed to 30 Rock.”
Given her grueling schedule, between her internship and diving, Boone said, “The schedule is quite hectic, but I’ve learned how to manage everything by writing things down, having daily schedules and to-do lists. I always make fun of myself and say that my brain moves at a million miles an hour. And my parents do always tell me that I need to find time to relax, but I like to be busy. I really enjoy having a lot to do, and yes it gets very stressful at times, but it’s also so rewarding and I love what I do. I love the sport of diving, I love my teammates, I love school and learning, and I love the jobs I have. I have a very fine mix of a strict schedule as well as things that are constantly changing. I feel so happy that I have people that work with my schedule. I’ve really learned to prioritize and be as efficient with my time as possible.”
Preparing for the upcoming 100 percent remote semester, as a student and an athlete, and anticipating the ways the semester might be different this fall, is a challenge, Boone said, but she is determined to make the best of it. “Honestly, it is extremely difficult to prepare for the fall semester being completely remote. All I can do is go with flow, follow the regulations and precautions and be smart, and prepare for possible scenarios. I am a planner, so it is difficult when I can’t plan.
“I’m definitely still looking forward to what can come in the future. I am just keeping a mentality that is day by day, rather than looking at months down the road. Nothing can be guaranteed right now, so it’s important to focus on what we can control and practice self-awareness in order to keep our sanity. It took me a while to realize that there are still ways to grow and be successful in a remote environment, but it’s true! I definitely want to continue taking advantage of making more connections virtually and doing everything I can to grow as a student, professional, athlete, and human being.”
After she graduates, Boone said she is “hoping to have a future in news, potentially at NBC, and would love to continue learning and growing in the industry. I am so grateful for everyone at NBC for giving all of the interns a chance to grow in our professional careers, especially during the current pandemic.”
More information about the Journalism and Media Studies Department at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information is available on the website.
Photo: Courtesy of Lauren Boone ’21
