Journalist alum speaks to classes about career
By: Christian Keck and Robert Hendler
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
On September 11th 2001, a group of students crowded around the small TV in the Gregory study lounge. Tony Bertuca joined the crowd, and listened to the voice of Peter Jennings as he tried to sort out the news as he received it. Bertuca couldn't pull himself away from the television, as Jennings stayed on the air all day long.
That was the moment when Bertuca decided to pursue a career in journalism.
Bertuca, a 2004 Lake Forest College graduate who covered important Washington events for USA Today, returned to the college to share his experiences with journalism students.
"Having information will change you," he told the combined journalism classes. "I wanted to provide information to empower people."
Although Lake Forest College does not have a journalism program, "I threw myself into writing and reading everything I could [and] reading the newspaper everyday," he said. The college had one journalism class once a semester when Bertuca was an undergraduate - it now offers two.
"When I got here, I thought I wanted to do business," said the well-groomed young man in a blue sweater and khaki pants. "Lake Forest was ill-equipped for journalism."
Realizing the lack of emphasis on journalism classes at Lake Forest College, Bertuca enrolled in politics classes instead. He tailored his senior thesis to journalism. "No one had done it before me, and I am not sure if anyone has since, but if you go down to the archives you find at least one journalism thesis," said Bertuca.
After graduating from Lake Forest in 2004, Bertuca worked for the Pioneer Press and covered the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He attended journalism school at Boston University, and interned for USA Today in Washington, D.C. as part of the program. Though he had no interest in covering sports, he was assigned to that desk, and he had to "push a little bit" to get the spot he desired at the then-new general assignment desk in the newsroom.
Soon after, Bertuca found himself in the U.S. Capitol, covering Rosa Parks' lying in state, and standing in the same room as George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton. At the service, he stood in the press box stuffed with reporters all pushing to get to the front. Bertuca, a football player at Lake Forest, pushed as well, but the strength of his piece didn't come from the canned speeches at the memorial service.
That was the moment when Bertuca decided to pursue a career in journalism.
Bertuca, a 2004 Lake Forest College graduate who covered important Washington events for USA Today, returned to the college to share his experiences with journalism students.
"Having information will change you," he told the combined journalism classes. "I wanted to provide information to empower people."
Although Lake Forest College does not have a journalism program, "I threw myself into writing and reading everything I could [and] reading the newspaper everyday," he said. The college had one journalism class once a semester when Bertuca was an undergraduate - it now offers two.
"When I got here, I thought I wanted to do business," said the well-groomed young man in a blue sweater and khaki pants. "Lake Forest was ill-equipped for journalism."
Realizing the lack of emphasis on journalism classes at Lake Forest College, Bertuca enrolled in politics classes instead. He tailored his senior thesis to journalism. "No one had done it before me, and I am not sure if anyone has since, but if you go down to the archives you find at least one journalism thesis," said Bertuca.
After graduating from Lake Forest in 2004, Bertuca worked for the Pioneer Press and covered the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He attended journalism school at Boston University, and interned for USA Today in Washington, D.C. as part of the program. Though he had no interest in covering sports, he was assigned to that desk, and he had to "push a little bit" to get the spot he desired at the then-new general assignment desk in the newsroom.
Soon after, Bertuca found himself in the U.S. Capitol, covering Rosa Parks' lying in state, and standing in the same room as George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton. At the service, he stood in the press box stuffed with reporters all pushing to get to the front. Bertuca, a football player at Lake Forest, pushed as well, but the strength of his piece didn't come from the canned speeches at the memorial service.
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