“What did I want to do before other people told me what I should do?” PBA psychology alumna Kat Gerasimenko reflected on this question after landing a job as a digital news producer at her local news station, WZTV Fox 17 Nashville.
During her time at PBA, Gerasimenko expected to become a mental health counselor like many other psychology majors, she said. Gerasimenko was surprised to land a digital news producer position over journalism majors, but they were impressed by her “high emotional intelligence” and the perspective she brought because of her psychology background. Gerasimenko said PBA prepared her holistically to be a “person of character” with honesty. Gerasimenko said, “people like to hire people with the character and values that PBA teaches.”
Gerasimenko acquired critical thinking and analytical skills through the psychology program and her time on the mock trial team. She thanked Dr. James Todd, associate professor of politics, for teaching her the “values and virtues” that people look for in an employee. The analytical skills she obtained at PBA helped her “discover the right career for her” and led her to apply for the journalism job in Nashville.
She encourages students to “look for what sparks that child-like joy” in their job searches. After accepting the job, Gerasimenko reflected on what led to her career. She remembered that her childhood dream had been to become a journalist and mused that her decision to apply for the job would “make her 10-year-old self very proud.”
Gerasimenko said, “I am actually doing what I wanted to do,” and she hopes others will “look for joy in their career search.”
Photo: Kat Gerasimenko landed a job as a digital news producer for a TV station in Nashville.
