Andrew Leffler’s first assignment was an adventure

Story and Photo by EJay Zarett

Syracuse, N.Y.-- In one of his first days as a graduate student, Andrew Leffler went to the sheriff’s office.

Leffler’s first ever assignment as a master's student in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications' Broadcast Digital Journalism program at Syracuse University was covering a scam that was taking place in Oneida County. So, he went to the county sheriff’s office to find out more information.

He said he was terrified when he arrived, but he ended up with a successful result. He got an interview.

“I really tried to hide [that I was afraid],” Leffler said. “Ultimately, I felt that the worst thing that could happen was that I wouldn’t get any audio or any quotes from them… I would have never forgiven myself if I never made that effort.”

Leffler, 22 of Dallas, Texas, enrolled at Syracuse University after graduating from Trinity College in May, 2016.

While at Trinity, a small liberal arts school in Hartford, Connecticut, Leffler majored in political science and played on the schools Division III tennis team for four years.

 But, Leffler was never able to take a journalism class while an undergraduate student as the school did not offer a journalism program.

With little experience, Leffler said he's faced a learning curve while at Syracuse. But, as his experience during his first story shows, he's hit the ground running.

“The most difficult [thing] is probably learning all of these new programs such as ENPS, which I don’t even know what it stands for,” Leffler said. “All of this is very new to me. But the professors here are very helpful and I’m very, very fortunate that I can learn this stuff in such a short period of time.”

EJay Zarett= Q

Andrew Leffler= A

Q: So Andrew, where are you from, where did you go to undergrad and what year did you graduate?

A: I’m originally from Dallas, Texas. I attended Trinity College, which is a small liberal arts school in Hartford, Connecticut and I majored in Political Science.

Q: So going from Dallas to Hartford, what made you make that decision?

A: Well, my dad is actually originally from New York and he attended a school right outside of Boston, so he is very familiar with the area. At an early age, I narrowed it down and decided I wanted to attend college in the Northeast, wasn’t sure where. I knew I wanted to go to a small liberal arts school. I played tennis in high school and I actually ended up committing to Trinity which definitely played a big role in where I ended up.

Q: Going from Dallas to the east coast, what was the biggest adjustment that you had to make?

A: It’s very obvious, but it was definitely the snow and the cold. It definitely gets cold in Dallas. We do get snow from time to time, but you wake up the next morning and it’s gone. My freshman year, I forgot what the name of the storm was, but we had three, four feet of snow. It was great the first day. Then the next day when it was still there, I realized that it’s going to be a rough few months. But four years of it I definitely got used to it and I do enjoy it.

Q: Coming straight from undergrad to Syracuse, what went into that decision and what was the biggest reason why you chose to go to graduate school right away and come here?

A: Throughout my college career, I was really unsure of what I wanted to do. I always had a passion for sports. I just felt that it was one of those things that was more on the dream side than on the reality side. Once I heard about the program at Newhouse, I felt like this was something I was destined to do in a sense. It was something that I felt that I really wanted to do and I was very fortunate to get in and pursue that dream. As far as doing it after college, it just made the most sense. Just coming out of college and then working and then coming back, I felt that having that time off would definitely distract me from that end goal and I’m glad that I was able to come here right after.

Q: What made you get into sports and at what age did you get into sports?

A: I had played sports all my life. Basketball, baseball, soccer and tennis. As the years progressed, there was a sport that would slowly disappear from the list. First it was soccer because that was a sport I was terrible at. The next was basketball, then it was baseball and I stuck with tennis. As far as interest in sports, I love the competitive nature. I love how sports is such a lighthearted topic yet you can get into so much depth with it. For me, I feel like you can introduce many different topics once you start a conversation with sports.

Q: In undergrad, at Trinity, did you have an experience in broadcast journalism or sports journalism?

A: There was a little journalism. I wrote for the school newspaper. I was a sportswriter. However, as far as any classes or majors, at a small liberal arts school you’re really limited in course options and I felt that maybe political science really did help as far as writing. For me, that was probably the closest thing to journalism.

Q: What has been the most difficult part of your classes so far, having never taken any classes in journalism, and what has been the most fun?

A: The most difficult is probably learning all of these new programs such as ENPS, which I don’t even know what it stands for, but also audacity. All of this is very new to me. But the professors here are very helpful and I’m very, very fortunate that I can learn this stuff in such a short period of time. Still not perfect, but its definitely a challenge. What I enjoy most? For example, my first story I was writing about a scam in Oneida County, which is about 50 minutes away from Syracuse and I was unsure whether I was able to get anyone to speak with me. So, one the most interesting things was—and probably a story that will stay with me for the rest of my life—is that I just casually showed up at the sheriff’s office and asked to speak with someone. Luckily, someone was available and I was able to get them to talk to me about this occurrence that was happening in Oneida. Just being able to do things like that is amazing.

Q: When you showed up at the sheriff’s office, were you nervous at all?

A: I was terrified.

Q: And how did that end up working out for you?

A: I really tried to hide it. I tried to be as professional as possible. In class they recommended that you wear a shirt and tie and a sports coat. I dressed as professionally as possible. I dressed to the liking of the recommendations and I just sucked up all nerves and did the best I could. Ultimately, I felt that the worst thing that could happen was that I wouldn’t get any audio or any quotes from them. For me, it was going to be tough and I just had to live with it. But, I would have never forgiven myself if I never made that effort. 

Full Interview Audio: https://soundcloud.com/user-722471356/andrew-leffler-interview