JU Alumna Lands TV News Job Before Graduation

The day before she graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication, Danielle Ruddy got the call she had worked toward for years. WSAV, the NBC affiliate in Savannah, Georgia, was offering her a position as a multimedia journalist and reporter. She immediately called her family and her professors.

"I was excited, nervous, completely overwhelmed and honestly still a little bit in shock," Ruddy said.

Twenty-four hours later, she walked across the commencement stage at Jacksonville University. Within six weeks, she was working in a professional newsroom.

During her four years at JU, Ruddy was anything but a bystander. She served as station manager for Dolphin Channel Media, where she shadowed journalists inside working newsrooms. She served on the Student Government Association, worked as a student ambassador, captained the JU Sirens Dance Team and interned with Generation W.

Ruddy earned the respect of her peers, the praise of her professors and a slew of community awards along the way. But her most meaningful accomplishment during her time at JU was an award-winning documentary she produced with classmates, "The Heart Behind the House," about families served by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville.

What began as a class assignment grew into the lesson of a lifetime after a mother whose son was undergoing medical treatment agreed to share her family's story.

"Someone was trusting us with one of the most vulnerable chapters of her life, and we had a responsibility to tell it with the care it deserved," Ruddy said.

The documentary won the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists Collegiate Award for Best TV Magazine and was presented at the JU Symposium and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

Ruddy credits two mentors with shaping her path at JU. Dr. Annmarie Kent-Willette, whose introductory communication course sparked Ruddy's love for a career in media, pushed her toward studying abroad and encouraged her to join the Dolphin Channel Media team, where she went on to thrive as station manager. Matt Harris, JU's senior director of communications, was also instrumental in helping her navigate the job search, offering constructive feedback on her resume and reel at every step.

"Danielle's determination to enter the field of broadcast journalism was palpable after our very first conversation," Harris said. "Her journey to date is a direct reflection of her commitment, hard work and talent. She's also a great example of what makes Jacksonville University special. Danielle took advantage of every opportunity available, in and out of the classroom, while endearing herself to faculty and staff along the way."

"That is what stands out most when I think about JU. It wasn't one class, one opportunity or even one mentor," Ruddy said. "It was being surrounded by people who knew me, invested in me and genuinely wanted to see me succeed. Those relationships shaped my experience as a Dolphin and continue to influence the journalist and person I am today."

Now, as a multimedia journalist at WSAV covering stories across the Lowcountry, Ruddy is busy researching, shooting, writing, editing and producing her own stories, often for multiple newscasts in a single day. She carries with her the lesson that defined her time at JU: Behind every story told is a human being trusting you to get it right.