Syracuse, N.Y. - Native of Floral Park, in Long Island, N.Y., Kristin O’Grady may not have had the longest trip to take to arrive on the campus of Syracuse University - but make no mistake her life’s journey to this point has not been as easy.
Before starting her graduate course work in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at SU, O’Grady was raised in the Catholic School system. She then continued her education at Fordham University where she earned a dual-degree in General Science and Anthropology, with a minor in Chemistry. But as her journey at Fordham came to an end she soon realized her dreams of entering the medical field no longer existed.
This was not the first, nor the last time that what O'Grady calls her fatal flaw of liking too many things was making her life more difficult. As a child her desire to dabble in many activities was not an issue, but now as a young adult she found herself stuck with degrees that she didn’t want to put to use.
Her time away from the classroom helped her to narrow her focus, and explore her soon to be home within SU. Now, she is concentrating on telecommunications and also taking classes with an emphasis in sports communication.
Although she is happy in her new field, O’Grady still finds her mind wanders when thinking about her future. But her fatal flaw could be her greatest skill. By having an interest in so many things, she has acquired a diverse list of talents and experiences. While her heart is still deciding whether to commit to comedy television writing or sports photography, O’Grady can rest easier knowing she will be prepared for whatever her life’s journey has in store for her next.
The transcript of my interview with Kristin O'Grady is below. For the audio version click here.
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Interviewer (IT): India Timpton Interviewed (KO): Kristin O’Grady
I
IT: Tell me a little bit about yourself before you came here. Where you were born. Where you are from. Things like that.
KO: Sure. So I am from Floral Park, which is in Long Island -I went to Catholic School all my life. I went to a little private school called Our Lady Victory Elementary School. Then I went to Kallenburg Memorial High School, that’s on Long Island, and then I went to Fordham University, in the Bronx, The Rose Hill Campus.
I studied Science and got my degree in General Science and a double degree in Anthropology -I had a Chem minor. I was pre-med so I thought for a long time that I wanted to go medical school. Then I sort of switched gears and decided to go to PA school, but then realized I was still unhappy.
I had to take a long hard look where I was at and see what I really wanted, what my passions were, and strengths were. So I took a year off between Fordham and Newhouse, and decided after applying to a couple of different programs that I wanted to end up here. So that’s how I got here.
IT: What did you want to become a doctor in? What field?
KO: I thought about it a lot. I was always kind of drawn toward something in a hospital, maybe Orthopedics, but if not that probably something where I would work with children in Pediatrics. I was always kind of torn so every time something new and fancy would show up I’d be like - oh that looks fun. Maybe that’s my calling, but it was never truly there. So I guess Orthopedics, if I had to say one thing.
IT: Did your family have a big medical background?
KO: No they don’t actually. My mom got her undergraduate degree at Adelphi University in Long Island in Physical Education, and my dad is a lawyer. He went to St. Johns Law, so literally no medicine in my family.
IT: Do you have siblings?
KO: I do, I have three siblings and I’m the oldest. My brother John is 20, he is a junior going to be senior at SUNY-Maritime. My other brother, Michael, is 18 and is going to be a sophomore at Geneseo, SUNY- Geneseo. My sister Karen is 13 and she is going to be a freshman at Kallenburg, where I went.
IT: Do you think they would get a kick out of seeing you on TV one day? Or what track do you want to go?
KO: I definitely think they would get a kick out of it. Like I said, when I was applying and decided on Newhouse, I looked into a bunch of different journalism programs. I applied to Columbia for their M.S. in Journalism, to NYU for their Magazine Writing Program, and to Newhouse in BDJ.
But I went to the preview back in April, I decided against BDJ for a couple of different reasons. It just wasn’t really speaking to me the way I thought it would, but the guy who was talking about television/radio/film on the student panel at the preview was really-really relating to me. Everything he said was really resonating with me.
So my path as of now is screenwriting, I really want to write for comedy television. Either late night television - so The Tonight Show or The Late Late Show or on SNL, that would be really cool. If not that then sitcom writing, that’s where I’ve always been drawn, I kind of have a performance background. I used to dance, and sing, and act.
I was kind of drawn to a path where I could exercise those passions in a productive way, without living as a starving artist auditioning on the street. So it has been a long journey and that’s why I’m here. I could definitely see myself getting on TV here and there hopefully down the line, and do think my family would get a kick out of that.
IT: You mentioned The Late Show and things like that, which show is your favorite?
KO: This is so cliché, but definitely The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, because who doesn’t love Jimmy Fallon. I actually went to a screening of The Tonight Show when I was at Fordham and it was one of the best days of my life. I love NBC- I love 30 Rock- I love everything about it. I have always been really drawn towards it and any time I had friends in Fordham doing internships there I found myself kind of jealous, like oh maybe the grass is greener over there, but that may have been me getting tired of science. I think I really always wanted to be there and if I could work at NBC or 30 Rock that would be ideal for me.
IT: So what about sports do you find attractive, since your focus is more on a late shows?
KO: Right. So there was a part of me that wanted to explore a part of BDJ even though I had already given it up. Back in high school I used to present the morning announcements for our Communications Club, so I have a lot of desire to exercise the fact that I’m a good public speaker and I like that aspect of BDJ. So I decided to stick with the sports emphasis because it’s the only part of BDJ that caught my eye back at the preview, and I wanted to work with (Professor John) Nicholson and with all the people I met at the preview. Sounds like a cool deal so that’s why I was here.
I would like to do some sports writing, I think it would be a lot of fun, and I really do like to write. I love language and I love words, I’m kind of a nerd for that. Even some of the sports pieces that we did, I enjoyed writing about the broadcaster and the print journalist, it was fun.
But a new aspect of this that I had not anticipated was that I went to the Chiefs’ game the other day and I was the photographer. I took out a DSLR and I walked around with Professor (Herm) Card, who came to class the other day, and I photographed the whole game. I then gave my photos to Matt St. Jean, who wrote the blog post for that day, and I had such a blast. I loved it so much.
I was saying before that my dad actually did a little bit of professional photography, as professional as it can get for a small town in Long Island. He used to shoot my brothers and I’s games when we were younger and made a little business out of it. So I have always had sort of an eye for photography, at least sports photography, and after doing that game I really enjoyed it and would like to have a hand in the sports emphasis in some capacity where I’m photographing and also doing some writing as well.
IT: Sounds like you have a handful of interests to choose from.
KO: Yea I kind of like everything, that is my fatal flaw, but its ok.
IT: I definitely understand that. Well thank you for talking with me.
KO: Thank you.
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