Meghan Morris (BSJ15, MSJ15)

Senior correspondent on Tech Features at Business Insider

Now senior correspondent on Tech Features at Business Insider, alumna Meghan Morris (BSJ15, MSJ15) credits Medill with contributing to her professional success. She says Medill’s training gave her the confidence to pursue stories for Business Insider that other journalists don’t. In addition, Medill’s faculty and career services helped guide her to multiple job opportunities. 

How has your Medill training helped you in your career so far? 

Medill's emphasis on accuracy and attention to detail has served me well in all of my jobs. When adjusting to a new subject area, for example, I can fully focus on mastering content, rather than worrying that I don't know how to write a lede or structure a story. After many man-on-the-street interviews as part of class assignments, I have no fear of talking with new sources, something I now do every day.  

How did the Medill network and Medill Career Services help you in finding your job? 

My professors were integral to my career trajectory, both for internships and my first full-time role. One of my business journalism professors, Ceci Rodgers, helped me prepare for a demanding exam and interview preceding an internship in New York City. Because of what I accomplished during that internship, I was recruited to my first full-time job. Before graduation, I received another job offer from a media outlet I found on the Medill Career Services database. I sat down with multiple professors to weigh the pros and cons of the roles, which helped me make my decision.  

Medill alumni also informed both that choice and my move last year to my current role at Business Insider. At both outlets, fellow alums took time to speak with me individually about company culture and their experiences.  

What is an experience that stands out from your time at Medill? 

In spring quarter, the professor guiding my independent study asked me if I had plans for a full week in May. Hearing that I did not, he recommended a one-off program that sent American journalists to the Netherlands for an all-expenses-paid reporting trip. I spent the week with professional journalists from Chicago, Michigan and Washington, learning about Dutch indoor farming innovations, advances in prosthetics technology and human rights work. We even sat down with the king of the Netherlands. 

After the trip, that same professor helped me pitch and sell a story to a B2B magazine. That experience demonstrated what I loved about Medill: close relationships with faculty; unique opportunities; and guidance before, during, and after a project.  

What advice do you have for someone considering Medill? 

Talk with recent alumni in the type of post-graduate role you'd like to pursue about their experiences and career opportunities that were available to them and their peers.