In 2009 she was a senior at Fairfield University, taking her first and only journalism class.
Today, she works for Fox News Corporation in Manhattan, frequently interacting with popular figures such as Bill O’Reilly.
Jennifer Booton is a business reporter working for Fox Business. She works in downtown Manhattan in the same building as other news corporation companies such as The New York Post and Dow Jones, despite her limited experience in journalism prior to joining the work force. She recently came back to Fairfield University and spoke to a group of aspiring journalists.
“The best lesson I learned at Fairfield is fighting for what you want and the importance of internships,” said Booton. “Without internships I wouldn’t be where I am today. It’s all about networking and internships.”
While attending Fairfield, her journalism classes were cancelled so frequently, it wasn’t until the last semester of her senior year that she finally had the opportunity to take the introductory News Writing class. It was also during her senior year that she began writing for the student newspaper The Mirror at Fairfield. While taking News Writing, she was able to land an internship at Fox News for the remainder of her senior year.
Even with limited experience, she knew she was passionate about journalism. After submitting somewhere between 50 and 60 applications after graduation, she landed a job writing for a local newspaper. “It’s really hard getting a job out of college, you have to take risks,” she explained. “Luck is a big factor in getting jobs today.”
Soon, her persistence paid off and she was offered a freelance job at Fox News, in the same building that she had previously interned. She quit her job at the local paper and for three months she wrote as much as she possibly could to make an impression at Fox. “My record was 20 [pieces] in one day,” Booton said.
She impressed the people at Fox and was offered a full time job a year and a half ago. “I’ve carved out my own niche and write about business travel and technology,” said Booton. She currently works with 14 others for Fox Business and aspirers to work for the New York Times one day.
Steve Fiorentine, a senior at Fairfield, said, “It was great hearing from a Fairfield graduate of not too long ago because I’m about to go into the job search.”
Another senior and aspiring journalist, Mike Fimmano, said, “She had great tips for entering the job search as a Fairfield student.”
Leave a Reply