Meet Ryan D'Alleva, a senior Journalism and English double major who discusses how his journalism experiences and skills are the foundation for a successful career in any field.
How has the UMass Journalism Department shaped you into the journalist you are today and helped prepare you for your future career?
I received so much support from the Journalism Department during my time at UMass. From professors to advisors in the department, everyone around me contributed to different skills I acquired. Although I will not be going into the journalism world, the skills I acquired, such as interviewing subject matter experts and “transcribing” complex information for a lay audience, will certainly come into play as a technical writer. I’m forever grateful for the support I received throughout my four years.
What have been your most impactful journalism classes or professors, and why?
Three impactful journalism courses were Intro to Journalism, International Journalism, and Data-Driven Storytelling, all taught by Professor Rodrigo Zamith. I’d recommend all three. Professor Zamith’s passion and confidence in his students to do well is unmatched. He's not only an amazing professor, but also an incredible mentor and role model. I’ve learned so much from him and not just through coursework. He’s a fantastic person to open up to if you ever feel stuck. Professor Zamith is the reason I took up journalism in the first place.
Which student media organizations or university clubs were you a part of, and how have you been involved?
I wrote for the Daily Collegian briefly (only six articles). I wrote for the UMass women’s soccer team and enjoyed it. But it didn’t feel like something I wanted to continue doing in my career, so I stopped after one season. Aside from this, I played intramural soccer all four years at UMass.
What are your points of pride, accomplishments, or the skills you developed that you are proud of most?
During Professor Zamith’s Data-Driven Storytelling course, I learned to code using R/R Studio. As someone who used to want to pursue computer science and became overwhelmed after taking a course on JavaScript in high school, it was very refreshing to be able to learn such a complex coding language in just one semester. Professor Zamith had so much patience, which wasn’t there during my high school class, and that allowed me the confidence to keep going. Since then, I’ve learned HTML/CSS in English 391C (I was a TA for that course a couple of semesters later), MadCap Flare (which I will be using for my job as a technical writer), and a few Adobe Suite applications. These are the skills I’m most proud of, for sure.
What are your most memorable UMass experiences as a journalism student?
Besides learning R/R Studio, I participated in the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Bootcamp in December 2020, a rigorous one-week Bootcamp. I was part of a team that interviewed subject matter experts and created a long-form article regarding the narrative between deforestation in the Amazon and residing Indigenous groups. It was a difficult task but worth it in the end. It was also great to work with such knowledgeable people and a prestigious organization.
What advice would you give to the next class of journalism students?
To keep it simple, find your reason for being a journalism major. I decided to take up English as my second major, and now I feel as though I know how to write for a lay audience very well. However, I’ve seen others pair their journalism degree with biology, computer science, mathematics — really anything. Journalism gives you so many universal skills that you can apply almost anywhere; find out where those skills will suit you best and go after them.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will be working as a contract technical writer at Teradyne. Technical writing refers to writing and updating instructions for a company and its products. I will mostly be writing and updating instructions for a product that tests hard disk drives before they go on the market. I start very soon, and because technical writing is exactly what I wanted to go into, so I’m most excited about that.
What is your dream job?
My goal is to have a career full of different endeavors. Technical writing is such a broad profession that many industries are beginning to hire technical writers. So, I hope to pursue various industries eventually, and I also hope to revisit journalism at some point in my career.