Taylor Gleason

Sometimes, it can feel like you’re expected to get a job in your focus area after you graduate. The pressure’s tough, but there are plenty of ways to apply your high school knowledge to other professions—take Taylor Gleason, for example. A musical theatre alumni from the class of 2013, Gleason’s taken the stage not as an actor, but as a newscaster.

Gleason’s day as a reporter starts at 2 AM with copious amounts of coffee and tea as she prepares for the morning broadcast from CBS 13 news in Portland, Maine. “Prepping includes looking for story ideas, news tips, as well as doing my hair and makeup before going on air,” Gleason elaborated. When she arrives at the studio, she’s given a story to front by her producer, and then it’s off to the field. “Fronting means I’m out in the field somewhere in southern Maine live on TV telling a report for viewers at home,” she said. “I’ll normally be live every 20 minutes through the show. After fronting stories for [Good Day Maine] I’ll normally go shoot, write, and edit another story for our noon segment.”

Even without considering the early hours, Gleason faces a lot of challenges as a journalist. “I’ve had people curse at me, spit at me and throw water bottles at me because I’m part of the ‘mainstream media’ and ‘fake news,’” she said. “Viewers regularly call our station to comment on whether or not they like what I’m wearing or how my hair looks certain days. I could be at a terrible house fire and someone would call to complain about my makeup.” And while it’s a tough job, she’s quick to remind people that “local news reporters are literally just people,” just like the people who watch them.

In her senior year, Gleason worked as a reporter for the Dragon’s Lair, and said she “always saw [her]self as a journalist of some kind,” although it took her a bit to figure out what that meant for her. “It wasn’t until I was half way through my experience at VCU that I figured out broadcast was best for me. I loved learning about print journalism and radio, but it was the interactive live aspect of TV that excited me. Live TV is fun but obviously there’s a huge responsibility in being a reporter… my education at ARGS gave me confidence knowing I would be able to hold a narrative in front of a camera and invisible audience.”

“Musical theatre is all about storytelling,” Gleason said, and that helped translate into her journalism. “Whether it’s through singing, acting, or dancing; you are telling a story to the audience. Storytelling and reporting are one in the same, too.” And while she doesn’t currently star in shows, her love for theatre still runs strong—she often listens to musical soundtracks on her way to work.

If Gleason could give one piece of advice to her past self, she said she “would tell her to not rush high school.” Even if things seem tough now, there’s always a bigger fish, and it’s important to enjoy the freedom of youth while you have it. “I was always criticizing myself on my physical appearance and work in class. All of my worries were so tiny in the grand scheme of things.” Sometimes it takes a while to see the bigger picture, and to find who you want to be. What you want to do with your life doesn’t have to line up word-for-word with what you learn in high school, but there are plenty of ways to take what you’ve learned with you in life regardless.