Leaving the Island: Chiann Nobrega

“You need to leave the island for college” was what Chiann Nobrega’s dad said when she was in high school. It was a rule in her household that Chiann and her siblings had to leave Hawaii for college. Her dad was the only one of his siblings to venture to the mainland for college. Chiann said it was the best decision he ever made, and it would soon become the best decision she ever made too.  

Growing up in Hawaii it can be easy to get sucked into staying there forever and never experiencing the rest of the United States. So, when it came to choose colleges, Chiann knew that she was going to go somewhere off the island. She applied to two schools, The University of Oregon and Syracuse University. She ended up choosing Oregon not fully ready to make the jump all the way to the east coast. After four years at Oregon Chiann wanted to learn more about the sports journalism industry and was ready to make that jump, to the east coast. To Syracuse University where her school colors quickly switched from green to orange. 

Audio of interview


Transcription 
OK. Say and spell your first name. Cheyenne no Brega. C h i a n n. N o b are ah. OK so you grew up in Hawaii. Yes. Have you lived there your whole life. Yeah. I lived there 18 years actually. Bush California when I was like two but I only lived there for like a year. So Hawaii born and raised OK and then you went to University of Oregon.


So talk to me a little bit about obviously like Hawaii is still a part of the United States and everything like that but talk to me a little bit about how the transition was from you from growing up in Hawaii and then moving to Oregon for college for four years like the difference is maybe why you chose there. Yeah well growing up I was I had one I had my mom's from California born in Pennsylvania and raised in California.


So I always had family from the mainland we call the continental United States the mainland and then my dad his whole family's native Hawaiian and they grew up there. So growing up I always had kind of the best of both worlds. So I got really lucky. Growing up I would always travel to California to visit family. So I was kind of like used to the mainland but one rule that my dad and my mom had when I was in high school is you'd have to leave for college. That was a rule and I was like OK. And we will pay for you we will not let you live with us if you choose to go white.


And I always thought that was interesting. And my dad was what I always was like curious as to why but part of me always want to leave and do something kind of bigger and more for myself. So when I asked my dad why is that rule a thing. He goes because Hawaii although it's an amazing place to grow up it can kind of be a trap. You know it's very common in Hawaii to grow up there have kids at a really young age live at home for the rest of your life take care of your parents which is a great lifestyle for a lot of people but it's really just it can kind of be a trap and if you don't get out after high school you'll probably never leave the island.


And my dad was really lucky. He had be one of the only ones of his siblings actually leave after high school and go to school that's where he met my mom. And he said that was the best thing candidate for his life because growing up in Ireland you become really naive to the rest of the world which is kind of true. You know we're kind of in the middle of the ocean like. We don't know what's going on everywhere. And he said that if he didn't leave he probably would have never grown up or become the man he is. So that's why he made the rules for us to leave. I love that.


So when I came to apply for colleges I actually applied in Syracuse and I got in to the undergrad but I applied for new house so I just got into the actually university and I applied to you. Of course they both I knew that they both had good journalism schools. I was also kind of interested in business and journalism and I knew I wanted to work in sports. I wasn't quite ready to take that leap and go all the way to New York. So I looked into Oregon. I knew I wanted to work in sports and I had a great athletic program and they had a really good business and journalism school.


So I got it and I was like All right. Like it's not too far from home but it's just enough of distance. And my dad actually also went to school in Oregon for a year so my he always had great things to say about it. So that's kind of what made me pick you know I've got I was fortunate up I got to go do a college tour there and I kind of fell off the campus. It was small but it wasn't too small like where it was. It was I felt like I was a big enough university. But yes I picked. OK. That's that's really interesting.

I think it's funny how you guys call this like the mainland and like everybody peoples I like I like the Big Island or the mainland or whatever yeah. But so when you went to Oregon you said you were interested in business and journalism but sports was definitely always a passion for you. Yeah. What was their journalism program like when you were there. So their journalism program. Is put in the three things that's put into public relations advertising in traditional journalism which they called super Jay and actually the biggest program in the journalism schools advertising's funny.


So I knew I didn't really wanna do advertising. I was definitely interested in kind of either being like an agent for a person or representing them or even doing reporting. But. I sort of as a PR major because people were like it was a really popular major in journalism in the J school and then the way that our school is set up basically everyone comes in and starts equally off to take a bunch of pre req classes and then what you do is you go through this thing called Gateway which is kind of like your courses boot camp.


It is complete it's 10 week 10 weeks may throw you into it and you have to do video photography audio stories and written stories about people in the Eugene community. And I it was absolutely amazing. What's Eugene Eugene is we're organized the Sonny. Okay. Yeah sorry. So once you get past that once you get past Gateway you basically can determine which route you want to go through. But the problem with Oregon which I think is kind of sad is the super J program is definitely doesn't get as much respect as the other two.


It's actually a sad because you know I think journalism is obviously an amazing thing. That's why I'm going to new house because I just don't feel fulfilled enough. Like they don't offer that many but they offer like no broadcasting classes they have won some reporting classes newspaper. But like nothing really in front of TV kind of work. So that's why it's a great Jay school. If you want to do advertising PR I wouldn't really recommend it if you want to do tradition if you understood it. So in your choice when did you decide you wanted to like.


I mean it must have been Andy or junior year beginning your senior year you thought you know I really like journalism that I need I need more. Before I go out in the field. Was that what was your mindset. Around that time thinking of grad schools and was Newhouse the undergrad school you applied to. Yeah. So. Once I. Switched I always did PR but once I added super J as a major I was like This is amazing. I love it. I love reporting I did a class where you got to cover all the track tournaments. I did NCAA double and it was great.

And then senior year came and I was just like I feel like I could learn so much more like I I just don't feel fulfilled enough. I was like I definitely want to learn how to be in front of the camera. I want to learn how to work a camera. I want to learn how to like broadcast stories. So that's what my life was like. Maybe you should look into grad school because you can specialize in grad school. So I you know I remember Syracuse. I have friends that actually did the broadcasting program here. And she always was super supportive of it.

So then I applied it to Syracuse and Northwestern that Syracuse is my first choice just because I wanted I love the New York area. I kind of wanted geared more towards that and it has just such a good reputation. So I've applied to both for them and I found out I got into both. I was kind of like. Which one do I choose like you know. But I was always I was always kind of Syracuse so that's when I committed here. I think. And then.


Ideal have dream job. It's funny is people ask me that and I can't give them an answer. Yeah I'm pretty open. Honestly I'm pretty open to anything. I did a lot of control room and like TV stuff with Oregon and Pac twelve network and I love being behind the camera like operating camera. I loved I did graphics for TV. Loved it. I loved being in the TV rooms so high paced. But obviously I would love to be in front of it too. So I mean dream job.


Anything honestly involving sports and TV. I would love to do sideline reporting I think they'll be a great opportunity but I will limit myself I'm kind of enjoying. It. That's good.



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