Ashley Burroughs: Studying Under Attack

Ashley Burroughs: Studying Under Attack

Story and photo by Erin Fish

 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Broadcast Digital Journalism student and New Jersey native, Ashley Burroughs, has a completely new outlook on life after her studies abroad. 

During her time in Europe she was inundated with cross-cultural experiences and different lifestyles. Burroughs was also in Paris at the time of the terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015. 

“Just being there showed me so much about life and how you can’t take things for granted,” Burroughs said. 

She now realizes how short life can be and that changed everything for her. 

When asked if she would like to travel more, she was hesitant. Burroughs said she is nervous, but her love for Paris and traveling will not hold her back. She wants to see the world and try new things.

Fear and apprehension could restrain a person from following her dreams. But if Burroughs’ time abroad taught her anything, she says it's that if you want to do something, you just have to do it.

Transcription of interview with Ashley Burroughs:

Audio version of interview here. 

Q: Ashley, to be a reporter you do not necessarily need to go to graduate school and get a master's, so why did you decide to continue your studies here at Newhouse?

A: I wanted to continue my studies here at Newhouse because it is the top school in the country for what I want to do and I know that I studied broadcasting in undergrad but I feel like I wanted to learn and expand more of my expertise in what I'm doing and I thought, what better way to do that than from the people that are the best and have been in the industry? To teach me things and to just learn from them because honestly they can tell me their ups and downs of their career journey and then I can either listen to them and take that route or just take a few pieces of what they tell me and then I can just adjust it into what I want to do and just make my own signature style of being a reporter. But I feel like Newhouse is the best way that I can do that because I can learn so much and I can grow. Especially since it is a year long program, I know its going to be intense, I know that I have to meet deadlines. I am already learning that now being in the second week. I didn't even know what intense deadlines were until here. I am already learning so much and its only been two weeks so I can only imagine how this whole semester is going to fly by and what I'm going to learn and how I'm going to grow. So I am just excited to do that and that’s why I chose Newhouse. 

Q: So obviously you are passionate about sports. What events in your life have driven that passion?

A: For sports, oh my gosh its a lot. So I grew up with two older brothers that says it all! I've literally grown up with it. My brothers played football, basketball, you name it. So ever since I was little I was constantly around sports. I played through middle school, I played in high school and I absolutely loved it. I even scored my 1,000 points in high school, so basketball is my it! I also played two years in college before I studied abroad so I just thought sports are my niche. I love it. I love the game. Ever since I was a little girl I wasn't playing around Barbie dolls and stuff like that. That just wasn't really my thing; I had a ball in my hand. Sports is just who my family is, its who I am. I just enjoy the game so much and it really does get intense in my house around the finals. Honestly, I couldn't imagine life without sports.

Q: I also read that at Susquehanna you created your own interactive sports blog, Buzzer Beater Sports. Can you tell me a little bit about it and how you did it?

A: Buzzer Beater Sports was kind of like an independent study that I did. Basically, my college was in a local town and ____ high school that where I did my Buzzer Beater Sports at, they had a men's and women's basketball team so I was like let me try to expand my horizons and do something different outside of the classes that I'm taking. So during the blog I did interviews with both head coaches for the men's and women's teams. I did preview stories about the game coming up in the season, I did game recaps, and I also did interviews after the game as well. I actually did a sit down interview with one of the men's coaches because they won a championship and it was amazing. They cut down the net and I also did a season recap with him in a sit down and it was really cool just to see how that came out and it definitely helped me with my writing and being a journalist and asking the right questions. So it was really interesting that I came up with my own idea that was a blog and it was just great. I enjoyed every piece of it and I feel like that helped me.

Q: I also saw that you went abroad to London, which is awesome. What do you feel like you got out of that experience?

A: Honestly, just the cross-cultural experience. It was amazing. It's so much different than being here and just taking the tube everyday and just taking different classes. It was just amazing just to see and to just immerse myself in a brand new culture with different people and seeing their lifestyles and just comparing it to my own and just seeing how wow everyone is living differently but its just amazing to see how people are in their everyday lives and it was really great. Honestly, what was crazy about being abroad was during the Paris attacks I was there, in Paris. So I was like wow. Just being there showed me so much about life and just how you can't take things for granted and if you want to do something, you really have to go out and do it. Life is so short and that was the best take that I got from it. Being around different people and learning their culture was amazing, but that was my big take home point when I saw that.

Q: Do you want to travel more? Or are you nervous about it?

A: I actually am nervous about it, but then again I still want to do it. I love Paris. In my undergrad I had Paris signs everywhere and I really do want to go back to Paris even though it’s weird that I was there during that time. But I do love traveling and seeing the world and seeing new things and actually trying new things. So I definitely do want to go back.

Q: Alright, last question real quick. If you could interview one athlete, dead or alive, who would it be?

A: Ugh, oh my gosh! OK... Carmelo Anthony. That is my hands down favorite athlete. He went to Syracuse, so people think I only went to this school because of him. But literally that’s my favorite player hands down. I would interview him any day and anyone could ask me anything about him and I know everything, which is weird but its fine.