Rashi Vats reporting...

Job Search

2008-03-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's that time...what everything really boils down to--finding a job!!!
All that school/homework/classes contributes to the type of job and future you have. No pressure.
For reporters, you won't know if you have a job until after you graduate so that is why the application process starts really late.

I am working on my resume tape right now. Hopefully I will have it done within the next couple of days so I can post it.

So the stress continues!!!

Another type of evil...

2008-03-23T20:28:00.001-07:00

The Evil Eye

2008-03-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

Headin for Home...Houston that is.

2008-03-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Well...I am just packing my bags and ready to finally go home...Houston. Many people think home for me would be India...nope. Wrong. That would be for my parents. I was born and brought up in the great state of Texas...and in Houston for that matter. It is a great place despite what some might say about it. Home is home...so of course I am bias. Anyways hope everyone has a great Spring Break! I am hoping to just relax and come back to TCU, finish up my last couple of weeks of school EVER (for now) then graduate. Those are the extent to my plans. After graduation who knows. Well---until then...have fun ya'll!

Spring Break starts!!!

2008-03-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

This week my story was on how to stay healthy during Spring Break. I wanted to capture footage in the sun for my story, but that was a bit difficult since it was SNOWING in TEXAS in MARCH. There are so many things that seem odd with that sentence, I am sure you can figure it out. We didn't have school on Thursday and rumors of no school on Friday were going around. To my surprise, I wake up Friday morning and it's sunny again! The only class I have on Fridays is Web Design. I skipped that and decided to do my Web Design work in my dorm. We are learning Flash and while I was doing the Flash tutorials...in my head I was thinking 'wonder how I could make snowflakes falling as an animation on Flash..." Yeah...I do need a break from school!

I am on RA duty till Monday and then I go to Houston! Really excited to be home again, and hopefully I won't be such a nerd when I come back! After Spring Break, it's going to be an intense task to find a job!!!

Clinton Craziness Continued

2008-03-02T18:21:00.000-08:00

The plan was to go to the Hillary Clinton deal at the Stockyards and then call it day. I was wrong...but it was a good thing. Right when me and two of my good friends (also reporters) were about to park to enter the Stockyards, a fire broke out about 2 miles away from us. I saw a huge gust of black smoke gradually filling the the air, and I was thinking 'that really sucks for whomever. I think I have $5 for parking.' Exactly in that order.

On our way to the fire. Michelle trying to get some good b-roll.

Instead my adventurous friend Susan decided to make a sharp turn, go over the parking ledge and head towards the fire so we can get a good standup. That was pure genius. All 3 of us were so excited and saying how glad we are that we chose this field. The adrenaline was kicking in and we were literally a foot away from the fire.

After getting our standups, we headed back to the Stockyards to cover the Clinton rally.

It was pretty good. Thousands of people were still waiting in line to see her. Her speech was just a slightly different version of what her husband had said a couple of days before. Pretty boring. As you can tell, I do fancy Obama but that does not show (and I don't think it should) in my reporting work. I think equal coverage is very important.

She was talking while I was concentrating on her yellow blazer. It was a good color on her.

See Hillary Clinton. Check. Tomorrow I complete the family by seeing Chelsea. Until then...

Clinton Craziness

2008-02-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

I have never attended a Presidential rally or anything political for that matter... until this week. Former President Bill Clinton was campaigning for his wife Tuesday in Ft. Worth. I was really excited and pumped to see Clinton. I went on behalf of TCU News Now to cover that rally and was able to be at the 'media deck' where other news stations like NBC and CBS set up their cameras. TCU News Now had theirs set up too.

Security was crazy! It was kind of theatrical. There were helicopters, horses, dogs and people that were securing the small area where the President would arrive. It was so incredibly cold, but the excitment kept us warm.

Two hours later, President Clinton arrived.
It wasn't all that great. I think my expectations were too high. Lauren (the other reporter I was with) and I couldn't feel our hands and feet at that point. Everything seemed frozen and the only thing I could think about is when I would be able to go some place and thaw.

He kept talking and talking. Finally after 45 min or so, which seemed like an eternity, we decided to leave because I had a night class. Thank God for the night class.

All in all it was a pretty good experience. One thing off of my list of things to do in life---see Bill Clinton. Check.

Age Factor

2008-02-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

Like I said in the previous post, the breaking news story for Tuesday morning when I anchored was about Fidel Castro resigning. We now know Castro, 81, had at least three operations in the summer of 2006. He survived all of that, and there was no confirmation of cancer, which was widely initially reported. He resigned Tuesday and now his brother Raul will take over. Raul is 76, and is in good health according to reports.

I know that there is a minimum age requirement to be in office but not a maximum age. President Reagan was the oldest US President (77.) Do you think age is a factor in determining effective leadership responsibility?

You can a detailed overview here of Castro's health by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

My pod

2008-02-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

I think reporting is what I really want to pursue as a career. I thought it was practicing medicine, but I realized it really wasn't my forte. Combining medicine and journalism, like my idol---Dr. Sanjay Gupta , wasn't realistic and/or something I wanted to. So, in my attempt to get a slight taste of what that would be like, I am the health reporter for TCU News Now (which happens to be a CNN affiliate.)

Now and then I report on other subjects and also help with the daily newscasts for News Now.

This past Tuesday I was the anchor for our show. There are groups (or 'pods' as we call them) of reporters assigned for each day to write, produce and broadcast the daily show. We work together as a team.

Here are some of the wonderful ladies in my pod working hard.

We had to report on breaking news that morning--- Fidel Castro resigning.

My pod worked together and had a successful show. To watch any of the shows or my stories, click here or just go to newsnow.tcu.edu.